Driving Texas : Part 1 : Other Drivers

Okay. Let's try this again. I had a long, ranting piece almost done and went to delete one word and accidentally deleted the whole post and then it autosaved. >:( But after a few hours mentally bitching, I'm back.

I have noticed some things in my brief time driving here in the Lone Star State. Some I would like to complain about (and will) and some I think are awesome.

My original first post was about a complaining topic, but I thought I should start on a more pro-Texan topic, since I'm new here. Don't want to piss all these crazy, gun toting fools off. Whoops. Haha. Don't shoot me.

More of a reason is I had the other post just like I wanted the first time, and it hurts a little that it is all gone. How about an "Undo" feature there Blogger? Might be a good idea.

Anyway, on to the topic at hand: Other Drivers

Almost anywhere I go other drivers are a huge pain in the ass. Doesn't matter what state, their age, type of car or anything else, it seems like 75% of the people on the road are bad drivers. Most seem too busy to be bothered with properly operating their several tons of vehicle cruising down the road at a mile a minute, but even before cell phones there were a bunch of morons on the road. I've commented on this before. But I'm going to concentrate on a different subject, slow people.

Driving on a two lane road everyone has been behind another motorist who, for whatever reason, isn't going as fast as you are. Sometimes it is because they are old or too busy talking on their phone (at least they slowed down, which is what I do if I take a call on the road). But more often in my case it is because they are going the speed limit.

Whatever the reason it can be a frustrating experience if you have some place to be at a specific time.

Sometimes, actually today, there are the times that no matter what you try you can't get around them. Maybe there are too many other cars in between or a ton of oncoming traffic.

But in the great state of Texas (see...you shouldn't shoot me!) I experienced a phenomenon that I have never seen anywhere else in all of my travels.

I was driving on a regular two lane county highway out to a small town to shoot some volleyball practice. It was my first month living here and I was still learning the roads and the road I was on, Farm-to-Market 2004, had another 8 miles or so in store for me. I was moving pretty good, going marginally over the speed limit, when I came upon a work truck poking along. I wasn't upset, because he wasn't going that much slower and I was taking in the area.

But after a short time he pulled off on to shoulder of the road, which allowed me to pass a little earlier then I would have chanced it, because of a bend in the road.

I figured he was turning at the intersection we were a little ways from and he was just sparring me his deceleration from slow to crawl. BUT NO!

The big truck, with it's welding tanks and tool boxes, swung back into the lane and continued on for quite a long while until I could no longer make out it's shape in my rearview mirror.

He got out of my way! I was amazed. I kind of wanted to stop and give him a hug, because it was such a beautiful moment in my driving life. I've never had anyone get over on the shoulder just to let me pass.

It's happened several times since I've been down here and now that I know this amazingly beautiful thing can happen I am prepared to give a very sincere wave of thanks to these Mother Theresas of motoring as soon as their tires touch the fog line.

These have to be like a pay it forward situations or something. Sure, they aren't giving me anything but a few moments of sheer automotive bliss, but that's enough some days. It just turns the day's dial to "sweet" and I downshift the Rabbit to blast past them on my way to paradise.


There are the other people that never get out of the way and take forever to turn when they finally do leave the road I'm on, but they are everywhere.

There do seem to be a lot of left lane drivers here. That also happens everywhere, but I see it all the time here.

On expressways or four lane highways the left-most lane of the two lanes going your direction is for passing. If you aren't passing you are supposed to stay in the right lane. In Houston or other giant cities with a billion lanes it doesn't matter as much, because you can always get around somehow.

But on regular roads there is always some moron just driving in the left lane and they end up pacing along side a semi truck for 20 miles and I nearly have a stroke from the stress of their stupidity. I can just feel it pouring out of their car.

And I don't know if it's a pride thing or what, but I've never had so many people speed up so I don't pass them as I have had here. What the hell?

I really don't get it. If you are going slow, fine. Occasionally I'm not sure about the speed limit, so when someone passes me I realize I'm poking along I speed back up but I steadily control the speed of my automo-car. Not this speed-up, slow-down mess that is an easy giveaway for someone who isn't firing on all cylinders, mentally.

But I never race people who are trying to pass me. If you want to go faster than me, awesome. Saves me from being out front if a cop is running a speed trap.

But when I'm passing someone and I see the douchey idgit in his truck or "fast" looking car with a fart-can exhaust (those seem to be the two groups that do this the most) keep looking over at me like I'm offending his manhood by passing him in my small car, sometimes I can't help my response.

Which is to downshift and hammer past like he's just standing there. Makes me feel good and hopefully helps him realize he is a moron. But most likely he's too stupid to realize that he is stupid.