OMG! That’s what your teens would be saying after the morning I’ve had. I had four people pull in front of me in their vehicles while traveling East Main Street. What is going on? Have we all lost our senses? Now, I have to assume that these people driving just didn’t see me coming or they all thought they moved faster than oncoming traffic. It’s becoming obvious to me, at least, that everyone needs to take their driver’s course over again and re-learn proper driving etiquette and rules of the road. You don’t pull out in front of a vehicle going 45 miles an hour or more and then slowly pick up your speed to match the speed posted on the road. If you can’t or aren’t willing to get your car up to speed before that car gets to you, then don’t turn in front of them, use the common sense God gave you and wait until that vehicle passes you.

So what’s going on? Is everyone just oblivious to the fact that there are other people on the road driving and that they have the right to drive safely and expect others to do the same? Do you believe that you have more right to the road than any other person? I know there are drivers out there who do believe they own the road and everyone should get out of their ways. These are the people who should be permanently banned from using motorized vehicles. We don’t need a three-lane road to make driving safer in this town; we need people paying attention to what’s going on around them. I had to take a driver’s course once as a result of a ticket. Best class I ever took. Did you know if you can’t see the back tires of the vehicle in front of you touching the blacktop, then you’re too close? Where in the driver’s manual does it say that STOP means slow and go? The definition of stop is “come to an end, cease to happen.” Also, watch out for those motorcycles out there. If you can’t see a car coming, you sure as heck aren’t going to see a motorcycle coming. Watch for those bicyclists out there, too. I’ve seen too many kids running up and down driveways and not paying any attention to vehicles traveling on that street. I’ve seen bike riders in the dark with no reflective clothing on just waiting to be hit by a car. I’ve seen bike riders going in and out of the lane because they think they own the road. They don’t, but do you want to be the one to prove that fact to them?

I’m very close to buying myself a camera to put in my car and film all the stupid driving people are doing and then put it on the Internet so your friends and relatives can see. So think about taking a driver safety course such as 55 Alive or reread the driver’s manual and re-learn what you should already know. It isn’t only teenagers who are poor drivers; older drivers are just as bad. Parents, remember your children are watching how you’re driving. So if their driving isn’t up to par, maybe yours isn’t either.

 

Kathy Diaz

Albert Lea