After having lived in three states, it has become a trait to examine how people in different states drive. This trait I have definitely inherited from my mother. So let's examine this shall we?
California, well we are all in a race to get somewhere, and pretty much self consumed jerks, who cut you off and race ahead of the line, just sure that we'll be the ones to beat traffic and get there first. Californians are a little too enthusiastic about merging, they don't care if there isn't room for you to get over, they are coming into your lane any ways. And hey at least we all know how to speed together, except for the overly cautious and Prius drivers.
Idaho, well they don't know how to merge at all. It's like they are waiting for a signed invitation to get onto the freeway. It doesn't help that nobody actually moves over so there is a chance of you being able to get on the freeway. So you better be good at eyeballing it.
Then we come to Washington. My mother didn't think that there were any worse drivers until we moved to Washington. How can people who pretty much deal with rain EVERY day, be so scared of it. When they get on the roadways they all act like they have never seen precipitation before. As if that weren't bad enough, there is no knowledge of why the fast lane was created. You have people going 10mph under the speed limit sitting out in the left lane, and no clue that perhaps their best placement would be in the right lane. And they wonder why they have such bad traffic. Washingtonians are weird mergers, halfway between an Idaho and a California. They want an invitation, but then get fed up and agressively attack whatever space may or may not be there. So obviously traffic is a nightmare. Add in some Canadian drivers (I'm not even going to open that can of worms) and you have one big mess.
So now let's look at Missouri, at least the St. Louis area. Okay, first off, these people LOVE their horns. They will honk because they don't like what you are doing. Example A: Today I was coming home from my run in the park. They are doing construction on a street called Skinker, so in my direction it narrows down to one lane. I was behind a semi, and coming up to a light where I need to turn right. There were cones blocking the right lane almost all the way up to the light, and where they stopped the cones, there was only enough room for the semi, who needed to be in the right lane. This meant that I had to partially block the one lane because I couldn't get completely over. The lady behind me kept pounding on the horn. Now what am I supposed to do? I need to turn right so I can't just stay in the lane I was in, it's on the left hand side and goes straight. But there wasn't quite enough room for me to get over, so my little trunk had to stick out. Lay on your horn all you want, there is no other way this is going to play out.
Here's another shining example. Mark and I went to an event that didn't serve dinner. So afterwards, when it was late, we went to a drive-thru to get him something quick to eat. Now I am totally with everyone in that drive-thru, it could not have moved any slower. We are talking they took an order about once every ten minutes. We had four cars in front of us, and by the time we got to the speaker we have about five more. While waiting, a car a couple cars behind us starts honking. Really, you're going to start honking. We're all trapped in this one little lane and we can only goes as fast as those serving us. Pipe down, you'll get your fatty burger and milkshake.
Next, there is the issue of people consistantly taking up two lanes. It's like no one understands that they are supposed to stay within the lines. We're not in Kindergarden here. I am constantly worried when I go to pass someone that they might come over on top of me.
Last, we have the aggressive behavior. They see a spot, and it doesn't matter that another car might becoming too closely, if they think it's their spot, the go for it. When getting on the freeway, same situation, they know how to merge, and they will merge on top of you if need be. Sadly, since I don't like to get in accidents, I have had way too many times where the horn and aggression come together. Someone decided for me that I should have pulled out in front of an oncoming car to claim a space, but I wasn't on the same page. So I have to sit there listening to their horn.
Okay, so there's my rant for the morning. Just remember when you come to Missouri, be prepared to be crazy on the roadway, all while doing the speed limit and honking your horn.
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