I was driving down I-20 the other day on my way to work. I was in the middle lane and I realized that everyone seemed to be flying past me so I looked down to check my speed and I was driving at 70 mph. I then moved over to the far right lane to get out of line of traffic. I began to think about when I first started driving almost 20 years ago now. My dad taught me that the far right lane was for slow traffic less than 55 mph, the middle lane was for faster traffic over 55 mph, and the far left lane was for passing only. Those rules have stuck with me for almost 20 years. On my way to work this morning it happened again I was in the middle lane driving at 75 mph this time when a lady in an SUV tried to run over me because I wasn’t going fast enough. I thought “Wow lady I am doing 75 mph”. Then I realized that the lane speeds have changed. The far right lane now is for traffic less than 75 mph, the middle lane is 75 – 85 mph, and the far left lane is 85 mph - ?. When I say “?” it means to whatever because people just get in their vehicles and drive as fast as they can. I often wonder why they are so late and where are they going. When I speed I think is someone else watching me and are they wondering why I didn’t leave my house sooner? Then when The Texas Department of Transportation changed some of the speed limits on Texas roads it just made me wonder where we are in a hurry to get to so fast. In my opinion the faster you go the faster time speeds by. You can almost see it and wave to it as it passes you by. The people with children in the vehicle are the ones I really don’t understand why they drive so fast.
So this morning 9/16/11 I am driving down interstate at 70 mph when I realized traffic was quickly gaining on me again. I just put on my blinker and moved over to the slow lane. Which now I am beginning to wonder exactly where is this slow lane?
Sara,
ReplyDeleteYour post struck a nerve. Like you, I am accustomed to going the speed limit while individuals whiz by me in their vehicles. This is often a topic of discussion for my hubby and I. We wonder, why didn't they just leave a little earlier, instead of flying down the freeway. I always think to myself "late is late", so why take the risk of injuring yourself or others. I also don't get when people are speeding with children in the car. If anything, I am overly cautious when I have my granddaughter in the car with me.
On many occassions individuals attempt to make me aware of their dissatisfaction with my speed by flashing their headlights or tailing close behind me. Little do they know that flashing headlights don't bother me in the least. I check to see if I am going an appropriate speed limit, if so, they can either go around me or sit tight and wait until I move over.
Society is in such a rush to get nowhere. Life is too short to live it in a blur.
They are indeed in a hurry to get somewhere but that somewhere they are in a hurry to get to is not going to pack up and move before they arrive at their destination. When my nephew who is turning 18 this year is with me I will say "don't drive like those people". It's just insane to drive very close to someone. One experience I had a few years ago I was on my way to see my grandmother and my mother and I decided to take the back roads. I was going along at 65 mph I didn't think that I needed to drive faster considering we were not on the main highway. A lady driving a minivan came flying up on me out of no where. There was literally no one coming so at any point she sped up and was tail gating me so close that I came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. I refused to move it was ridiculous for sure. She was so close that when she finally went around me she had to put her vehicle in reverse.
ReplyDeleteIt just does not make any sense. She was mad when she went around me but I did not care. I was not in any hurry and had plenty of time to get where I needed to be.
I agree with your statement "Society is in such a rush to get nowhere. Life is too short to live it in a blur." Everyone is in a hurry to arrive somewhere in a short amount of time. Life is way to short to see it pass you by that's how I see it.
People do drive too fast. I too often find my self wondering where are they going? Are they really that late and why? and why are they so agitated?
ReplyDeleteI want to believe that they don't mean to place their lives and the lives of others in danger, and that they are just stupid.
Of course, Its not much better to have a bunch of stupid people on the road rather than malicious people.
I think, sometimes, that people use their cars as weapons--like carrying a gun, but scarier. I usually drive the speed limit (saves gas), but people on Hwy 1 drive 80. I'm thinking the state could pad its coffers well if the state police would just ticket every driver who speeds!
ReplyDeleteK. Smith
Eng. 226
Sometimes I wonder if the cops would catch me speeding but then I look at the cars around me who are flying down the interstate and I say, "no I'm good". The cops are gonna catch them first. Nice topic for a blog!
ReplyDeleteI have this same issue. I was driving to work this morning on I-49 and I was going about 65 MPH and surely enough I had people passing me up like it was nothing! I left earlier just to enjoy my ride but it seemed like everyone was in a hurry to get somewhere!
ReplyDeleteI have to be honest and say that I am one to speed places.Although I do not go over 85 mph (my car is aged and shakes at that speed), usually do drive around 80 everywhere that I go.Where am I going? No idea.It's just how I drive. I'm not one of the fast drivers that like to ride on people's tail or be rude. But I guess during this up coming week I'll try to leave ten minutes earlier than usual and see how driving the speed limit works.
ReplyDelete