Driving is no longer fun for me.
I remember my excitement at getting my learner’s permit and then my driver’s license 60 years ago. As soon as I got my license, my mom bought a Ford Custom 500. Back then, I loved just jumping in the car and running errands for my mother who never learned to drive. But we would go sightseeing on Sundays after church to look at neighborhoods we dreamed of living in one day. At Christmas, we would drive to see the decorations all over the city of Louisville, Kentucky, my hometown.
That was then, this is now. With apologies to Atlanta rock band, Drivin N Cryin, their name best describes my feelings about driving most days in metro Atlanta.
One reason is the traffic. More vehicles are on the road. Look at this Fourth of July holiday weekend that began for the AAA on Saturday, June 29, and ends Monday, July 8. AAA predicts 60.6 million people will travel by car this July 4 holiday, 2.8 million more drivers than last year.
A company called INRIX predicts the best and worst times to travel by car. Today, the best time to travel is before 11 a.m. and the worst time is between 2 and 8 p.m. Tomorrow, as the holiday wraps up, the worst time is between 1 and 5 p.m. and the best time after 7 p.m., according to INRIX.
However, evening rush hour in Atlanta seems to start every day at 3 p.m. and goes until 8 or 8:30 p.m. And morning rush hour can begin at 6 a.m. and go to 10 a.m.
Credit: AJC file
Credit: AJC file
Driving is no longer fun because it has become serious business, not only because of the number of vehicles on the road but because of the people driving those vehicles.
How to get from here to there safely requires more than plotting a trip on your GPS.
Everyone considers themselves an expert driver, a king or queen of the road. That sometimes shows up in how we drive, especially on the interstates. We can be selfish.
How many times have you been behind someone in the fast lane doing exactly the speed limit or slower with a line of traffic behind them? Someone will blink their lights, which used to be a request to the driver in front of you to move over to the right. Oftentimes, the response is that the driver in front slows down even more. They ignore the sign that reads “Slower Traffic Keep Right.” They refuse to follow the rules.
Following the rules of the road keeps everyone safe, but some folks don’t think the rules are for them and tempt fate. Don’t believe that old saying that police will give you grace and not a ticket if you don’t go more than 10 miles above the posted speed limit. Don’t count on it. The speed limit is there for a reason.
Drivers of cars aren’t the only ones who don’t follow the rules of the road.
More and more of our commerce is being moved in tractor trailer trucks. But often in Georgia, truckers clog up the highways in lanes where they aren’t supposed to be. The Georgia Motor Carrier Compliance Division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety makes it plain that when there are three or more lanes, trucks should only be in “the two most right-hand lanes except when the truck is preparing for a left turn,” and on two-lane roads, trucks should only operate in the left-hand lane “when the truck is actually overtaking and passing another vehicle or preparing for a left turn.”
These people obviously aren’t following the rules on I-75 South in Stockbridge.
Since rules are often broken it means all drivers have to learn to be defensive drivers. It means not getting distracted by the scenery, your music, your cellphone or what the kids and the dog are doing in the way back of the car.
We need to focus on the road and just drive — not try to return calls, do Zoom or Teams meetings, eat our lunch.
We need to remember driving is not a competition, even though some people see it that way. How often has this happened to you? You use your turn signal to indicate you are moving to another lane, having left adequate space, and before you can move safely, someone has moved to where you were going by speeding up or changing from another lane. Maybe that’s why some people don’t use their turn signals. If you don’t let someone know what you are about to do, they can’t stop you — whether it be changing lanes or entering or exiting the freeway.
That move from lane to lane also could be followed by an aggressive driver who lays on the horn, gives you the finger, or worse, pulls a gun. Please, no back and forth and if you see a weapon, immediately call 911 and get to a safe place. I recently bought a camera for my car to record the threatening behavior by other drivers. I drive an electric vehicle and bought the alternative vehicle tag that allows me to drive in the HOV lane, yet some people don’t understand that.
How I wish I could tell other drivers to leave the tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, and passing on the right to the trained race car drivers at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
More and more I am leaving longer times to get where I need to go. I am doing more driving on city streets rather than the expressway, but even that has changed for me.
No longer can I leave my purse and computer sitting in the passenger seat or the back seat. They are either on the floor next to my left leg or strapped into a safety belt. I leave nothing of value in my car, wherever it is parked. Car breaks-ins can happen in parking lots, garages and at stoplights.
Driving isn’t what it used to be. The car is my only mode of transportation now. I rode a motorcycle for a while but stopped riding because of aggressive drivers and heavy traffic. There seems to be little or no respect for people on two, three or four wheels.
Heavy traffic and aggressive drivers forced me off my motorcycle but won’t force me out of my car. I have to drive, and I will be a defensive driver who follows the rules of the road because driving is a business — a serious business. How I wish it were fun again.
Be sure to check out the new podcast, “The Monica Pearson Show” featuring interviews with Jason Carter, Killer Mike, Ms. Pat and Sanjay Gupta. You can listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
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