a traffic story

I was driving down the 51 this past Sunday morning, on my way to church, with my dear girls & saw a cop car behind me. Now, that doesn’t make me nervous. I do a quick check of my speed & pay a bit more attention to when I am using my turn signals. I do not slow down to EXACTLY the speed limit (or below!), if a cop decides to pull me over only going 5 over the speed limit, then so be it. I am choosing to drive over the posted speed limit, so I have to own that. Usually the cars who suddenly recognize a cop car behind them do upset me (I don’t see the need to suddenly drive so stupidly), but most of the cars were already behind the cop. So, when I first saw the cop, I said “grr” in my head (just a little one), BUT then I was actually happy because for once, there was NOT that one or two cars going 90 mph on a 65 mph freeway! Those people really make me nervous! The death & destruction that can happen at those speeds! I have serious doubts as to whether there is an actual ‘NEED’ to drive at that speed at that time of day. (11 am or so on a Sunday morning).

I would seriously love to do a full tirade against the “stupid drivers” out and about in this city. But, I know that I don’t drive the safest in all the world. Also, I have read two very good blogs about traffic & the crazy-ness of it all. Check them out!

One is my friend Rodger’s blog. View it HERE

The other is a friend of my friend’s blog. View John’s blog HERE

I’ve been seriously thinking about these two blogs & what I could add. I can’t really add that much. There are definitely people who I’d like to “tire iron” (which is just a joke, by the way! in case you didn’t catch that!). I really have to agree with John’s blog, though. We get in our cars & start driving. Suddenly, the “people” are gone  and we see them as “machines” only, instead of seeing a person in a rush, having a bad day & just wants to get home, etc. We make many excuses for people that we see out & about, while we are physically around them, but we do not allow the same excuses for people who are driving. It seems sometimes that common courtesy is dead.

Though, not all common courtesy is dead. I am a stay-at-home mom during the week & as such, I take my kids out & about pretty often. Usually we just walk around Target or other grocery stores. My sister-in-law is also a stay-at-home mom, so we meet up quite often (our kids get along well & we live close to each other). When we meet up, with our kids, they often start spinning in the aisles. (Hey, if I was around 5 years old, I would too!) Well, they are children & don’t always pay attention to where other people are around them & they block the aisle. Most of the time (about 95% of the time), we apologize to the person or people that were held up because of the children, and they don’t get upset. There has been a couple of people who actually have grimaced & given dirty looks! Our children don’t go screaming down the aisles, they move out of the way fairly quickly, and we apologize. Plus, the kids are 5 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER!!!! Children deserve to have some fun!

Another example of common courtesy still alive (and chivalry, too!) is this: I am a professional juggler (sorta). I have one child that pretty much rides my hip & I carry too much stuff (according to thetallone), plus making sure theblondeone stays within arm’s reach. I’m pretty good at “juggling” all this, at the same time. Often, I will have people hold a door open for me. Usually I don’t need the help (theblondeone is a pretty good door-opener), but I appreciate it, anyway! It is nice to know there are people out there who lend a helping hand to those around them.

I think everyone should have to take a “defensive driving” course every couple of years. I had been stopped by a cop a number of years ago & took the defensive driving course to take care of the ticket. I actually learned quite a bit more about how to drive more safely than I had been. When I was talking with my husband about it afterward, he knew most of the stuff that I had just learned (that I hadn’t know before) because he had taken a Sears driving course when he was 15 or 16. It really seems to me that if more people drove defensively instead of offensively, we would all be a lot safer! The dangers of driving more than 20 miles over the speed limit, cutting people off, tailgating, etc.; do they really add up to an outcome that is beneficial to anyone? I like driving fast as much as the next person, but not to compromise my safety and the safety of others around me.

I was glad to not have more nervous feelings about driving (not my favorite activity, I view it more of a means to an end) that morning. I would like to thank the people out there who still practice courtesy to the people around them. Lend a helping hand, today, Pay It Forward! I also want to thank all of the DPS, cops, sheriffs, and other law enforcement officers. I know there are a few bad apples out there, but this city is a MUCH safer place with all of their dedication and sacrifice. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!