Dear Operators of Motor Vehicles,
As someone who travels on city roads daily, I have noticed several bad habits that many of my fellow drivers are adopting. That's not to say I don't have a couple bad habits of my own - I'm no angel - but some of you really need to be put back into drivers education for a refresher course.
One of my major pet peeves is when someone lets you into a line of cars with no acknowledgement. Sometimes it really is accidental that you're in the wrong lane - your kid was yelling in the back seat, you didn't see the one measly orange cone that was marking a lane closure, etc, and you simply didn't get over in time.
But there are also the rest of you who know damn well they've been doing road repairs for a week up ahead, or that you actually need to be 4 lanes over in order to make your turn in 3 blocks, but still you go careening up the bus lane at full tilt, only to pull in front of someone who has to slam on their brakes to avoid killing you. Or, some poor shmuck that doesn't know any better lets you in out of the goodness of their heart, only to have you pull in front of them and cut across the next 3 lanes as well, causing a string of brake lights and white knuckles.
I realize that while you are talking on your cell phone, scrolling through your list of ipod tunes, lighting a cigarette, putting on mascara, and trying to find change to buy a coffee it may be a bit of an inconvenience to raise your hand in a quick wave of appreciation, but please try. Even the bus drivers flash their lights as a thank you!
As someone who routinely lets people into lanes, I don't think it's too much to ask for a simple two second wave of thanks. Even if you just hold up your hand briefly - I still know that you're acknowledging me being nice, leaving a happy feeling in my mind, and a good attitude about letting the next person in.
But when you're a jackass, and don't so much as glance in your rear-view mirror to look back, you're ruining it for everyone else that needs to be let in. Immediately after not getting any recognition for being nice to you I become jaded and sullen, and unwilling to let anyone else in for that drive.
Keep it up and one day when you really are in a hurry and need to get somewhere quickly you'll be S.O.L. - because it won't just be me that's unwilling to let you nose your mom's 1989 Buick LeSabre ahead of me, oh no, soon even the little blue-haired ladies will be saluting you with their crooked middle fingers.
Sincerely, Nice for Now Ali
One of my major pet peeves is when someone lets you into a line of cars with no acknowledgement. Sometimes it really is accidental that you're in the wrong lane - your kid was yelling in the back seat, you didn't see the one measly orange cone that was marking a lane closure, etc, and you simply didn't get over in time.
But there are also the rest of you who know damn well they've been doing road repairs for a week up ahead, or that you actually need to be 4 lanes over in order to make your turn in 3 blocks, but still you go careening up the bus lane at full tilt, only to pull in front of someone who has to slam on their brakes to avoid killing you. Or, some poor shmuck that doesn't know any better lets you in out of the goodness of their heart, only to have you pull in front of them and cut across the next 3 lanes as well, causing a string of brake lights and white knuckles.
I realize that while you are talking on your cell phone, scrolling through your list of ipod tunes, lighting a cigarette, putting on mascara, and trying to find change to buy a coffee it may be a bit of an inconvenience to raise your hand in a quick wave of appreciation, but please try. Even the bus drivers flash their lights as a thank you!
As someone who routinely lets people into lanes, I don't think it's too much to ask for a simple two second wave of thanks. Even if you just hold up your hand briefly - I still know that you're acknowledging me being nice, leaving a happy feeling in my mind, and a good attitude about letting the next person in.
But when you're a jackass, and don't so much as glance in your rear-view mirror to look back, you're ruining it for everyone else that needs to be let in. Immediately after not getting any recognition for being nice to you I become jaded and sullen, and unwilling to let anyone else in for that drive.
Keep it up and one day when you really are in a hurry and need to get somewhere quickly you'll be S.O.L. - because it won't just be me that's unwilling to let you nose your mom's 1989 Buick LeSabre ahead of me, oh no, soon even the little blue-haired ladies will be saluting you with their crooked middle fingers.
Sincerely, Nice for Now Ali
posted by Ali at 9:54 AM
4 Comments:
Ahmen. Now let us pray that one day soon they will be scraping him off the front of an 18 wheeler!
OK, maybe not, but it is a nice thought while it lasts.
That is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves...letting someone in, and they don't acknowledge it. GRRR!! I always wave to say thanks if someone does it for me.
The best is when somebody cuts YOU off, then proceeds to give you the finger.
That's when I'm with your dad when he says "If I only had my old truck right now..."
Oh I hear you, you sure your not talking about the rednecks that live next door to me. I know they were away for a few day's over Easter LMAO....
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