Fed Up Driver
A couple of days ago, I was all ready to blog about road rage and other stupid drivers, but my karma changed that. I'm still going to complain about those drivers. I just can't help it. However, it seems that someone out there probably thinks that I'm just another stupid woman driver.
I had a little accident ...
It wasn't that bad. In fact, it was almost laughable. No, not almost. I did laugh about it after giving him my insurance details.
I went to Hobbycraft with Jack to pick up a few bits for my scrapbooking, and when we finished, we decided to go to McDonald's. Jack was telling me what he wanted me to order for him, but I know I checked my mirrors and looked behind me because I saw a blue car and waited for it to pass. It's just a shame I didn't see the green car.
Now, in retrospect, I've decided that one of three things happened, since I'm positive I checked behind me.
1. He pulled straight out from a parking place in the row behind me. Why do I think that's a possibility? Because when he moved his car out of the way of traffic, he reversed back in without any manoevering.
2. He was a speedy little guy (it was a posh little sports car, to make my luck even more incredible). He zoomed behind me, hitting all my blind spots at the appropriate times. Okay, far-fetched, I know, but it could happen.
3. I just didn't see him because he was directly behind me in a low-riding green car, and he blended in with the boot of my big green car. Yes, his car was almost the same shade of green as mine.
At least I can report that there was no damage at all to my car because it was my rubber bumper that hit the front wing of his car. And because it was the rubber bumper that impacted, and at a very very low speed, there was only a small dent in his car. I figure that it just needs popping back out, but with my luck, it's going to cost my insurance company more than I think is reasonable!
I suppose, in the big scheme of things, it's not too bad. I haven't had an accident in almost 20 years, not since passing my test in Texas in 1986. (Okay, I had an accident as a learner in May of 1985, but the tree lived.) I didn't burst into tears or anything like that, and the kid who owned the sports car was pretty nice about it. He even joked that people keep aiming for the exact same space on his car because it's happened before. Maybe he should think about getting a car in a more visible colour.
Those other drivers I mentioned at the beginning of this post, however ... When I was driving to IKEA a couple of days ago, I was stunned by the actions of two drivers on the motorway.
One of them was weaving in and out of traffic going at least 80 miles per hour if not more. He was annoyed that I was in the outer, slow lane going 70, so he zipped around me and then cut back in front of me. Then he did it to the other drivers in front of him.
Now that may sound like a standard encounter on the motorway, but one thing really pissed me off. In the rear window, he had a sign that said, "Baby on Board". I could see at least one other child in the car, as well as his wife.
As soon as I got over my state of disbelief, the same thing happened again! A different car, a different man driving, but the same scenario.
Do they think that by having that sign in their cars, they have a license to drive like complete idiots? Do they think it's a case of "You guys have to be careful around me so I don't have to be careful myself"? I wonder if they've ever heard of the concept of defensive driving. Obviously not.
Another driver that pissed me off was a guy in a white van. Despite surveys saying that mum's on the school run are, by popular opinion not statistics, the worst drivers on the roads, I still believe it's the men in white vans. They used to be at the top of the surveys, but they're still at the top of my list of bad drivers.
This time, I was leaving IKEA and entering the dual carriageway. A red car was in front of me on the slip road, so as soon as we were on the main road and the inside lane was clear (I checked my mirrors and looked over my shoulder, just like my driving instructor taught me a few years ago), and I could see a white van in the distance. I indicated, and I moved into the inside lane. As soon as I was side by side with the red car, the white van was up my ass, flashing his lights to get me to move over!
I took my time. I was going the 50 mile per hour speed limit, and he was going well above that, but I didn't let him rattle me. When I was clear of the red car, I indicated and moved back to the outside lane. The passenger in the white van made gestures at me to say I need to look "you stupid woman driver".
I did get a bit of satisfaction a few minutes later. For all his speeding down the road, almost causing an accident, he was stopped at exactly the same red lights as I was a few minutes later. His passenger looked over at me, and I smiled pleasantly.
Oh, and I stuck two fingers up at him.
I had a little accident ...
It wasn't that bad. In fact, it was almost laughable. No, not almost. I did laugh about it after giving him my insurance details.
I went to Hobbycraft with Jack to pick up a few bits for my scrapbooking, and when we finished, we decided to go to McDonald's. Jack was telling me what he wanted me to order for him, but I know I checked my mirrors and looked behind me because I saw a blue car and waited for it to pass. It's just a shame I didn't see the green car.
Now, in retrospect, I've decided that one of three things happened, since I'm positive I checked behind me.
1. He pulled straight out from a parking place in the row behind me. Why do I think that's a possibility? Because when he moved his car out of the way of traffic, he reversed back in without any manoevering.
2. He was a speedy little guy (it was a posh little sports car, to make my luck even more incredible). He zoomed behind me, hitting all my blind spots at the appropriate times. Okay, far-fetched, I know, but it could happen.
3. I just didn't see him because he was directly behind me in a low-riding green car, and he blended in with the boot of my big green car. Yes, his car was almost the same shade of green as mine.
At least I can report that there was no damage at all to my car because it was my rubber bumper that hit the front wing of his car. And because it was the rubber bumper that impacted, and at a very very low speed, there was only a small dent in his car. I figure that it just needs popping back out, but with my luck, it's going to cost my insurance company more than I think is reasonable!
I suppose, in the big scheme of things, it's not too bad. I haven't had an accident in almost 20 years, not since passing my test in Texas in 1986. (Okay, I had an accident as a learner in May of 1985, but the tree lived.) I didn't burst into tears or anything like that, and the kid who owned the sports car was pretty nice about it. He even joked that people keep aiming for the exact same space on his car because it's happened before. Maybe he should think about getting a car in a more visible colour.
Those other drivers I mentioned at the beginning of this post, however ... When I was driving to IKEA a couple of days ago, I was stunned by the actions of two drivers on the motorway.
One of them was weaving in and out of traffic going at least 80 miles per hour if not more. He was annoyed that I was in the outer, slow lane going 70, so he zipped around me and then cut back in front of me. Then he did it to the other drivers in front of him.
Now that may sound like a standard encounter on the motorway, but one thing really pissed me off. In the rear window, he had a sign that said, "Baby on Board". I could see at least one other child in the car, as well as his wife.
As soon as I got over my state of disbelief, the same thing happened again! A different car, a different man driving, but the same scenario.
Do they think that by having that sign in their cars, they have a license to drive like complete idiots? Do they think it's a case of "You guys have to be careful around me so I don't have to be careful myself"? I wonder if they've ever heard of the concept of defensive driving. Obviously not.
Another driver that pissed me off was a guy in a white van. Despite surveys saying that mum's on the school run are, by popular opinion not statistics, the worst drivers on the roads, I still believe it's the men in white vans. They used to be at the top of the surveys, but they're still at the top of my list of bad drivers.
This time, I was leaving IKEA and entering the dual carriageway. A red car was in front of me on the slip road, so as soon as we were on the main road and the inside lane was clear (I checked my mirrors and looked over my shoulder, just like my driving instructor taught me a few years ago), and I could see a white van in the distance. I indicated, and I moved into the inside lane. As soon as I was side by side with the red car, the white van was up my ass, flashing his lights to get me to move over!
I took my time. I was going the 50 mile per hour speed limit, and he was going well above that, but I didn't let him rattle me. When I was clear of the red car, I indicated and moved back to the outside lane. The passenger in the white van made gestures at me to say I need to look "you stupid woman driver".
I did get a bit of satisfaction a few minutes later. For all his speeding down the road, almost causing an accident, he was stopped at exactly the same red lights as I was a few minutes later. His passenger looked over at me, and I smiled pleasantly.
Oh, and I stuck two fingers up at him.
posted by Melinda at 10/02/2005 11:13:00 am
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