Friday, September 12, 2008

On a highway - like HELL!


I like to drive. I love cars. However, driving is, to me, an active ACT, an ACTIVITY, something that you DO!

Driving is not sitting in a car like you were on a couch at home, or lounging on an easy chair all flung out and laid back, your one hand casually flung across the steering wheel while the other is doing - what? Something else, whatever the hell it is, but not actively engaged in DRIVING!
People who just hang out in their cars, taking up space on the roads while they do the LaZBoy layabout routine all sprawled out, make me crazy. And when they do it while yakking on a phone they make me stark-raving-foaming-at-the-mouth-farking NUTS!!!

I passed a guy on the interstate yesterday morning who was barely able to get his ass out of the left lane so that I could get by. I looked over at him as I went past to see what kind of slob I was dealing with. Just another redneck wanna-be ex-jock with a ball cap down over his eyes, slouched down in the seat, one arm hanging out the window with his hand just barely on the wheel and the other clutching his cell phone to his head. He was already out of tune with his surroundings and if ANYTHING had happened while he was driving like that he'd never have been able to deal with it in time.
He wasn't driving, he was just hanging out in the car.

DRIVING requires concentration and focus, paying attention to the road and other cars and potential hazards, things that could get you killed if you're not watching out for them. This lout was just there. Not doing anything, not working at the task of driving his car - just THERE. Like cow crap in a pile in a pasture. As in "here I am, so what?".
I admit that I use my phone while I drive. But I stop the conversation if anything requires more attention and I have a plan to drop the phone the instant that I have to do more to pilot the car or deal with an emergency. If it's a conversation that can't be interrupted I get off the road to finish it.

It makes me nuts that people are such jackasses with their phones and their driving habits in general. But then, most of humanity scores pretty low on my ratings scale.
I wouldn't mind it if the morons would stay off the road or stay tucked away in one lane, designated for complete idiots only. That would suit me fine. Just get the fark out of my way.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are being linked to by The Conservative Edge, which is based out of Nicholasville, Ky., and their feed features several other Kentucky conservative/GOP blogs.

Why, then are you espousing the liberal position on cell phones? I halfway expected you to push for a law banning their use while driving, like the libs in NY, NJ and California have already passed.

Chaz said...

I see nothing wrong with a law that bans the use of cell phones while driving. Making ignorant behavior illegal doesn't bother me at all.
It would give the police something to prosecute the idiots for that would stick.
Would you rather that people are allowed to do ANYTHING while they're driving, and leave it up to the individual cop to decide what's not appropriate? Or do you want to make up your mind about that after someone dies because some jackass didn't know how to drive properly?