WE ARE: 5 women navigating our twenties in search of peace, happiness and love (or not). WE WRITE: about everything and nothing. From the insane to the mundane- you will find different paths taken, lessons learned and lives lived. WE THINK: you’ll enjoy it...Warning: Consumption of these views may leave you enlightened while intoxicated.

SO LONG, FAREWELL...

The View From Here will conclude on Friday, October 1, our third year anniversary. We would like to spend this month thanking all of our readers, followers, haters, visitors, family, friends, and fans for your continued support, encouragement, and comments over these past few years. Thanks y'all!
-The Five Spot

Sunday, December 21, 2008

A Raging Road Scholar

Have you ever been driving and wondered what the hell the person in front of you did to get their drivers license?? (no one in the earthly realm would have been so foolish to approve them for road travel…right?...RIGHT?!) The person in front of you doesn’t seem to know the rules of the road. They drive too slow, don’t signal or have had their signal on for the last 10 miles, and are driving with their headlights off at 8:45 in the evening. You finally get a chance to pass them and when you look over, you notice they are texting on their Crackberry, reading the Washington Post, putting on make-up, smoking a Newport, and eating an extra long chili cheese coney from Sonic, all while noddin their head to the treble of Common’s Punch Drunk Love blasting from their crappy system.

I think I’m a pretty good driver. Matter of fact, I know I am. I give the courtesy wave when someone lets me over, I’ve gotten one speeding ticket in my whole driving career and I never have been in an accident. (intentionally hitting jaywalking pedestrians doesn’t count does it? But hey, they stepped out there all willy nilly like, they saw me coming and looked at me like I was supposed to stop…so I asked myself WWJD…and before I came to a conclusion…BAM…over the hood they went and then under my back tires as I backed up to see what was the damage) I know everyone is not as cautious in their driving as I am, but there are some things people are just supposed to know and do!

To further prove my point that there are idiots on the road a study shows that out of the 50 states and the nation’s capital, DC, MD, and VA ranked in the bottom 11 for the country’s worst drivers. With DC being ranked 50 out of 51, MD at 42 and VA at 40. Well the test was not based on actual driving, but rather on the knowledge of common sense traffic rules and regulations. I understand knowledge of the rules doesn’t necessarily directly collate to how people really drive, but I’ll bet my left lugnut that the bottom 10 states on the list have a higher rate of accidents per capita than any other state.

So here is my proposal. Everyone must take the written exam and the pass the little driving obstacle course (VA drivers got it too easy) every 2-3 years or at least at the period when your license expires. When your license expires, you should take the exams again to make sure you're up to date on traffic rules and regs and so someone else (not your nearly blind mama) can evaluate your driving.

Can’t pass the exams? - You can’t get your license! Period.

There shouldn’t be much of a problem since everyone is suppose to get better with experience. Afterall, Isn't it the “experienced” drivers that are masters of steering with their knees while eating their Taco Bell Chalupas? And yet it's these same “experienced” drivers who are also involved in the most accidents. It just seems like anyone can get a license if they know how to open the car door or have played Grand Theft Auto on their PS3. Sorry, I just aint cool being on the same road with you! Forgive me for wanting to get to where I'm going without incident. And many of you people are making that hard for me! Maybe my proposal will educate folks, and have them take driving seriously. And since knowledge is the key, maybe this enlightenment will positively reflect on the road-You know, with people staying alive and such.

What does the rest of the class think?

See how you'd do. Take the same exam that was used in the study. http://www.gmacinsurance.com/SafeDriving/

And if you didn't do well...then please just stay out my way!

-Mudslide
A Man

6 comments:

Amaretto said...

Ohhhhhh. You must be the last of those 2 and 10 drivers! My grandma told me about ya'll, how you once dominated the road back in the day! ;)

Sista GP said...

I scored 90% and I am mostly a 10 and 2 driver and sometimes an 8 and 4 driver.

Hubby, a truck driver, says I'm the best driver he knows because of the driving decisions made. In other words, I think through as I drive.

What was your score?

Anonymous said...

I got a 95%. Ironically, I missed the first question. But I got an 100% the second time around! :)

@ Sista GP - we need more folks like you on the road!

Anonymous said...

MudSlide, I concur. I got 90%, w00t.

Sista GP said...

I earned extra credit this evening.
I hit a deer on the way home.
Son and I are fine. As a made a curve, I saw it jump out of the brush on the left side of the road. I immediately slowed.
For some odd reason, it changed course to the right into my path. I pressed brakes harder, but caught its tail end. I pulled into a driveway just to get my thoughts together.
I think its leg(s) or hip was broken. In my rear view mirrors I could see it trying to get up.
I had to drive a little piece before finding a place to pullover to check out car.
A little bumper damage, but car was still drivable.
I was able to stay in my lane.
Thanking God of course.

Anonymous said...

@ Sista GP - Im thankful ryou and your son are alright. It sounds like a lil more than just your driving skills was on display this evening. When God is in the car with you, you will always be apart of the safest drivers on the road. God Bless & Merry Christmas!