If you?ve read anything on this site, you know I try to stay positive and inspirational. Only good comments here, not bad. But I have to say something about Mass-holes, a word used to describe a large percentage of drivers in Massachusetts.
I stopped my weekly travel in August. That is a good thing, but now I drive to work every day, 10 miles in the morning, and 10 miles in the evening, right through the city. I live just south of Boston and work in Cambridge, just north of Boston. I actually like driving (instead of taking the subway) because it gives me time to listen to the radio and the flexibility/freedom to leave whenever I want. Plus I listen to talk radio, which is hard in the subway.
But there is one thing that bugs the living crap out of me and makes me think about taking public transportation. Years ago when I was taking a defensive driving course to get 10% off my insurance I was told to leave a safe distance from the car in front of me on the highway. The general rule of thumb was for every 10 miles an hours add 1 second of time that passes when the car in front of you goes by a fixed object and you go by the same fixed object. So if I am going 60 miles an hour, as soon as the car in front of me passes, let?s say a sign post, I should count to 6 and that is when I should pass the same fixed object. In reality, that would leave an unrealistic amount of space, so I usually just guess at a safe distance. But it?s a pretty good rule.
In Massachusetts, abiding by this rule is seen as a sign of weakness on the roads. If I leave anything more than a few inches, and my lane is moving faster than the other lanes, cars will instantly cut in front of me. It?s almost like some crazy highway video game where the winner is able to cut and weave and finish the race first.
So every morning, and evening, as I move along 93, also known as the Central Artery, or the Southeast Expressway, depending on where you are, I have to drive right up the a** of the car in front of me. The second, and I am not exaggerating, the millisecond, I leave anything close to a car length, some moron quickly cuts in front of me.
At times I realize a legit driver has to move over to get off an exit ramp or something, but you can tell who they are. They use turn signals. Massholes do not use turn signals. In fact, when you buy a car in Massachusetts, turn signals are an expensive option that is rarely purchased.
Nothing I can do about it, except inch along close to the car in front of my like everyone else. Oh sure, you Defense Driving course instructors are telling me to keep leaving space, but then cars will keep cutting in front of me, resulting in the need for me to actually stop my car and wait until 3 in the morning when the roads are empty. Not a realistic option.
One other quick thing. During traffic, if I have to get over, I use my turn signal and wait for an opening. Another core trait of Massachusetts drivers is the unwillingness to let another driver in front of them. At least once a day, I put my turn signal on, wait for an opening, and then start to move over. This is usually done when traffic is moving very slowly. The second, again, not exaggerating, the second I start to move over, the car in the lane slams on the accelerator, and makes DAMN sure that I cannot get in front of them. You see, to the other driver, I am a threat, someone who will cause them to lose this freakin game, and I CANNOT be allowed to move in front of them in traffic. Oh sure, sometimes I?ll get someone nice enough to just let me move over in traffic, but they have out of state license plates.
Whey can?t everyone be like me. At least on the roads.
Just thought I?d vent.
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