Weavers on the road....

One of the basic rites of passage from being just a "teenager" to almost "adulthood" is the ability, at the age of 16, to have your own drivers license. We look forward to the day when we can toss our hair out the window, crank the tunes and wiz down the road, void of our parents in the car with us. I was an exception, and waited till I was 18 to cross that threshold. I was in no particular rush, and to me, the world of driving was pretty scary... even then.

I was only too happy to let my brothers or friends do all the driving, while I played navigator with the map... and kept an eye out for upcoming turns or roads. This allowed me to also see all the views without having to keep my eyes on traffic or lights, or worse yet, the bad drivers out there who didn't use turn signals..... whoever was driving had that responsibility.

When I moved to Atlanta, I took a daring try and willed myself to get on the road to learn this new city. How hard could it be? I had just traveled down I-95 from New Hampshire giving me 1200 miles under my belt in just 2 short days... besides I already had seven years and numerous road trips logged in. I told myself that a road is a road, doesn't really matter where it goes... just pull over and pull out the trusty map if all else fails.
Boy, was I wrong. It seemed that everyone was in a hurry to get where they were going, and going 70 on the interstate was just a commonplace occurrence. In their defense, I had to admit that using the turn signal was an advantage. Cars slowed down and actually let you in... similar to Moses parting the sea. Well that was a nice! And if you got lost, people were more than happy to turn you around, or draw a map to your destination. Wow! These southerners are sooo friendly, I thought.

Well, that was 21 years ago, and times have changed. With over 4 million people (many of them bad drivers, and many on the road on any given day), congestion is the new commonplace, and turn signals are a thing of the past. Yes, they still do 70 or more on the interstate, but all this weaving exists now with no warning. What is it about drivers who think that they need to keep crossing multiple lanes of traffic just to get one second faster than the person they were behind?
Isn't going 70 fast enough? And, ok, you need to get in front of me, why can't you just let me know? I have a new rule that I drive with, and it's quite simple... I do everything I can to stay out of your way. Go ahead, cut me off.... my cursing will speak to some Karma God up there, and you will have your day in court, be it earthly or not. I hate to think of how many people you are going to take out with your selfishness, but I know it's an eventual process, and I only hope it's not me or my family.

My job takes me out of the office and onto the roads multiple times during the week. In order for people to get their food, I might have to transfer from one highway to another, to yet another; and even get on some back roads to avoid traffic areas. I've grown accustomed to letting customers know that a 7 AM or 5 PM delivery might not be possible; as much as I will try to be on time, anything could happen... and usually does. We build in windows to the deliveries, but accidents, congestion and the occasional jumper off an interstate bridge will throw all the careful planning off. Luckily, all my customers are pretty laid back, and understand the troubles. All we have to do is tell them: Atlanta traffic.... and it's become an understood detail of being on the road.

So next time you weavers and poor drivers venture out on the road, remember that there are other drivers trying to get to their destinations as much as you are. Signal lights were put into vehicles for a good reason, so don't be so stingy in using them. After all, you might be saving a life, and that one may be mine or someone I love. Everyone else.... happy driving!