There are traffic rules for a reason. I really wish people would learn them. For example, this morning I was turning right at an intersection. This intersection, during morning rush hour (which it was) is 99% traffic going in one direction, 90% of which is turning left, and 9.9% of which is turning right, and virtually none of which is going straight. I was coming from the other direction, turning right. If you’re following along, you will note that that means I was turning onto the same street in the same direction as 90% of the oncoming traffic, who were doing it by turning left.
Because it’s such a steady stream of cars turning left, and the cars usually wait in line for at least 2 or 3 lights waiting to make the turn, they seem to forget that they don’t automatically have the right of way. A car turning right at a green light always has the right of way over oncoming traffic turning left. I thought that everybody knew this. So I start turning, and this oncoming car tries to push me off the road. Ok, fine, I let them go ahead of me but I’m determined to get in behind them. The SUV behind them had the nerve to honk at me as if I were doing something wrong. HELLO? Where did you learn to drive? Oh wait, I forgot… this is Atlanta.
In a similar vein, I am often tempted to smack people at four-way stop intersections. The rules are very simple. Whoever gets to the intersection first has the right of way to start crossing the intersection (after stopping). The “tie-breaker” rule is that if two cars arrive at the same time, the one on the right has the right of way. Somehow a large percentage of the population has gotten confused by this and seems to think that the person on the right always has the right of way, even if they got there second. This annoys me to no end, especially when they get all pissy about it and honk at you for going when you were supposed to.
And then I could go on and on about people who don’t understand the concept of staying in their lanes, but that would take all day.
— 10:56:32 AM
[1576]
07/01/2007 03:21 PM Reply
People, Opal, have forgotten the idea of courtesy, not only in their daily lives, but also on our roads. For my part, I try to avoid mixing it up in the
San Diego area.
“Interstates” 5 and 15 are just huge parking lots. I guess I have to admire Californians for their solution to the parking problems.