Road Rage

It’s no secret that I hate driving. Well, I actually love to drive but I HATE the jerks I’m sharing the road with. I often find myself wanting to write a letter to the editor but I’m so very afraid my letter will turn into a Unabomber-type manifesto. I live in a smallish town so I’m not looking to be labeled as “that crazy letter-writin’ lady” and getting stared down at the Walmart. Not for that reason anyways.

But you people seriously make me CRAZY!

Tuesday, there was a wreck at an intersection on the backroads of town. The speed limit is only 35 where this crash occurred so I’m really curious to know exactly what happened in the collision to cause an AMBULANCE to turn over on it’s side and a small car turn into a pile of scrap metal.

At least the ambulance was not in service with a patient when the crash occurred. That’s having a really bad day…a ride in an ambulance – THAT CRASHES! Eek!

There were two folks in the ambulance, riding up front and two folks in the, what used to be, a Nissan. Everyone went to the hospital and one of them was airlifted to the “dude, you got some serious crap WRONG with you” hospital in the big city.

I’ll repeat: The speed limit at this intersection is 35 miles per hour.

I read today’s smallish town newspaper and the Board of Aldermen are already talking about converting this intersection (and it’s bastard cousin one block prior) to a four-way stop. Dammit man – these idiots can’t even drive 35 mph and obey a stop sign – now you want to insert some right of way rules here? Are you crazy!?

One Alderman lives between the two intersections and says this is the third crash at this intersection in five weeks. He proclaims it to be the most dangerous intersections in town.

I call BULLSHIT on that one.

It’s not the intersection. It’s the same damn intersection and stop sign that’s been there for at least the past 30 years. Granted, the town or DOT gets lazy and lets the trash vines grow up the pole in the spring but I’ve never seen it cover the sign.

The problem is a bad driver problem.

The ambulance was probably going to pick up a patient at the nursing home or the assisted living place. The ambulance would have been driving on the road that had the right of way. The car must have been the one who ignored the stop sign.

Was the Nissan driver: On the cell phone? Listening to the GPS lady? Talking to the passenger?

One thing is sure; the Nissan driver was NOT paying attention to DRIVING. That’s what the magic box on wheels does. You turn the big circle and mash the pedals. YOU direct where it’s going. Unless you’re too busy doing something else, like not driving.

And now we have a GOVERNMENT trying to save the CITIZENS from STUPID. What ever happened to personal responsibility?

When I was in high school, a classmate ran a stop sign and crashed her car at the bastard cousin intersection. She got messed up pretty bad too, as in had to relearn to walk and miss the prom bad. Her smashed up car was on display in the quad for us to see. I’m sorry she was hurt but I am so thankful she lived and shared a lesson with all of us. I often think of her when I stop at that intersection.

And the big boys started Driver’s Ed classes today.

The big boys who can’t comprehend that when they walk to the trash can and it’s full, they should empty it instead of smashing shit further into the can. The big boys who can’t remember to put the trash on the curb on trash day. The big boys who can’t remember to bring school paperwork home. The big boys who get ZEROs on open-note tests. Dude, seriously? It’s OPEN NOTE!!

And now they want to drive cars. SIGH.