Sound Off

Can we talk about being lost for a minute? I don't mean emotionally or spiritually lost. I mean physically and vehicularly lost. When you are driving and don't know where you are, or where you are going, what do you do? Besides break out in a cold sweat....or is that just me? Normally, I pull over and re-evaluate where I am vs. where I want to be and steer myself back in the right direction.

 

I had two separate occasions within the same week of being stuck behind someone who obviously did not know where they were going. The problem is they did NOT pull over but decided that the middle of the road was a perfect place to stop and get their bearings.

 

First instance, a little junked out truck rolls through the four way stop to turn in front of us. That was our first clue that this person might be a candidate for 'Worlds Worst Drivers'. But then they stopped in the middle of the road and cranked a hard left to turn side ways in the street. We had stopped by this point, also sitting in the middle of the road, waiting to see what the truck would do next. The driver is a girl, with her ear glued to her shoulder, probably with a cell phone in between. She cranks the wheel hard to pull a three point U-turn..in the middle of the road...with us stopped behind her. I honk the horn at her...never mind that I wasn't in the drivers seat (Jeremy gave me the side glance). She gives us a little wave and starts heading back in the direction we just came from.

 

Second instance, I was trucking right along behind a mini-van. When they slowed down, I slowed down too thinking they must be turning onto a side road. But they don't turn..instead they speed back up....just to slow down again and then stop....in the middle of the road. *sigh* The driver starts talking to a landscaping person working in a nearby yard. Still stopped in the middle of the road...still with me stopped behind them. I honk my horn (I think this is the most I have ever used the car horn before) and the landscaping guy waves for me to go around....and I do.

 

You can just stop in the middle of the street! Most people know this, right? You know it, right?! There are other people..around you...also driving...on the same street. Just...pull over, for the love of God, PULL OVER and then you can beep-boop on your phone or call your Mom or talk to the landscape dude all the live long day.