Aug 22, 201208:53 AMCup of Joe
Your weekly dose of strange parenting news, trends, and polls
What type of driver are you?
For some, it can be one of the most stressful times of the day. An intermingling of different driving skills and styles that often conflict and end at a standstill somewhere along one of the major local routes.
With the start of the new school year, commute times for many will increase due to school bus and student driver traffic.
As I commuted to work on Interstate 283 recently, I took notice of a few of the interesting driving habits of those around me—and of my own as well. I realized my habits change from morning to evening.
When I step out the door in the morning, turn the key in my old Saturn and slowly start to roll up the road, the last thing on my mind is trying to get around the guy in front of me. Coming home in the evening though, I’m much more aggressive in passing cars.
But along my travels to and from work, be it slow or fast, I’ve started categorizing the different types of drivers that I encounter. Check out my findings below:
- The easy rider: This driver seems not to have a care in the world and sticks to the left lane traveling at a steady pace behind the car in front of them.
- The wannabe race car driver: If you’re in this driver’s way, you’d better get out of the way for fear of being rear-ended or swiftly passed on the right at speeds exceeding 20 mph over the speed limit.
- The I-have-beef-with-everybody driver: This driver is not a happy camper. Nobody is really sure why they are so upset, but they’re usually in a hurry and never hesitate to make those around them aware of their mistakes. They frequently use hand gestures, pounding on the horn, flashing their lights and slowing down while giving a dirty look to let others know what they do wrong.
- The undecided driver: If they’re in a lane, it’s the wrong lane. This driver navigates back and forth between lanes spending the bulk of their time navigating right down the center of the road.
- The traffic stopper: This driver never hesitates to occupy the fast lane while driving 5 mph under the speed limit, especially if they have a buddy next to them driving the same speed in the right lane.
- The distracted driver. Easily spotted from a quarter-mile away, this driver struggles to maintain a straight path as they drift into the other lane with a half-eaten banana in one hand and a smart phone with unsent text-message in the other.
Did I miss any categories? Share your own categories in our comments section below:
Joe Barry is a web developer for Journal Multimedia. He and his wife Kristi live in Mt. Joy.
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The lone ranger/the inconsiderate driver- This driver forgets there are other vehicles on the road, doesn't use turn signals, cuts people off, doesn't yield when merging (or to anyone else for that matter), doesn't get into the far lane when others are merging, doesn't pay attention to speed limit signs, etc.
There's also the lead dog- they go the speed limit, or 5 under in the right lane, then speed-up when others try to pass them. If they get passed, they speed-up to pass the vehicle that just passed them in an effort get back in the lead.
Also, the wannabe race-car driver swerves from lane to lane at 20 mph over the speed limit as they try to get to the finish line as quickly as possible.