Friday, October 8, 2010

Lessons for NC Drivers

North Carolina driving is horrendous.  At first, I thought I was just overreacting because I grew up in a small town where the closest thing we ever got to a traffic jam was when the high schoolers were all trying to leave the parking lot at once.  But after seeing the reactions of visiting friends and family, I’ve come to the conclusion that the driving here is truly terrible.  Here are my tips for Carolina drivers.

Lesson 1: Merging
It’s called a blind spot for a reason.  Check it.

Lesson 2: Your Horn
It’s supposed to be used for emergencies- it’s not there so you can “punish” people for letting others merge onto the highway when you’re already sitting in stop and go traffic.  (Special note to the man in the Acura: Although you think you are more important than others around you, you are not.  So I don’t regret responding to your honk with a smile into the rearview while waving 3 more people in.)

Lesson 3: Patience
I’m not really sure why everyone is in such a hurry to get TO work in the morning, but merging  into oncoming traffic to save yourself 15 seconds is not a good idea.  You also shouldn’t be honking at people who are waiting till the traffic clears to merge safely. (For more information, please see Lesson 2: Your Horn).  Your karma will come back around when the person you honked at makes the next light and you don’t.  There goes 3 minutes of your day.  Sucks to be you.

Lesson 4: The Left Lane
To clear up any confusion, the left lane is used for passing, not hovering.  If you are going the same speed as the person to your right, you are in the wrong lane.  You can correct this error by accelerating slightly to fully pass the person on your right, then merging into the right lane.

Lesson 5: Fender Benders
If you have a fender bender (or really, any accident where there’s no injury), there’s no need to leave your cars in the middle of the road.  In fact, it’s NC law to move your vehicles out of the way.

Lesson 6: Rain
It’s raining?  No need to panic.  (This isn’t the desert; we all know what rain is.)  Okay, let’s take a deep breath… it will be okay.  Turn off your hazards.  Resume normal speed.  And if you aren’t comfortable driving in rain, please pull off the side of the road and get out of everyone’s way.

Lesson 7: Snow.  
Dry roads and a dusting of snow on the grass do not qualify as a “snowstorm.”  Still, if you feel the need to hide out at home, please do.  I’m happy to have the road to myself.

2 comments:

  1. Lmao, I have specific scenarios for almost all of these. Well done :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lesson 8: Look out for motorcyclists... I'm tired of getting merged on, cut off, almost ran into at stop lights/signs, etc...

    With as many riders as there are in NC, you'd think people would be more aware...

    ReplyDelete