Dangerous Drivers

Ever since I started working 50 some miles away from home I have had to endure many terrible driving habits, of other people. I routinely face things like semis who decide to stay in the middle lane for miles, while the right lane remains completely empty and then there are the people who swerve in and out of traffic, but they seem to be few and far between. The ones who take the cake are the ones who drive too fast all the time. In my corner of this world the highest posted speed is 65 miles per hour, and this in only select areas. More commonly is the 55 mph speed zone (which is the highest posted speed for semis in the entire state). Semis rarely drive anything less than 60, and people can be expected to add 5 to 10 mph to the posted speed. I did some math the other night, and in the distance covered in my commute I would save only 4 lousy minutes if I were to drive 70 mph the entire way.

What is the point I am trying to make here? Simply this: slow down. Most people who drive like every second counts only save a few seconds, maybe a couple of minutes. In the process traffic laws and/or safety principles are violated. The risk is not worth the consequences, especially since the consequences can mortally affect an innocent driver (or pedestrian, or bicyclist for that matter).

I hate it when people break the law. I hate it even more when the law prevents us from being stupid.

(As an aside, I nearly hit a kid on a bike today. It was a frightening experience, one I wish I did not have to face.)