Don't Honk at Me, Bitch -- You're the One Who Cut Me Off
I was coming back from McLean this afternoon, when a driver made me very angry.
I was on Spring Hill Road, getting ready to hop onto the Dulles Toll Road:
Now, it's covered by the Dulles Toll Road overpass, so you'll have to trust me on this, but there are two left turn lanes, which undergo a leftward lane shift as you pass under the overpass.
So, if you're in the left lane and not paying attention, you'll ignore the lane shift and continue straight, cutting off the driver next to you. If you're lucky, said driver will anticipate this, avoid the collison and simply honk his horn instead of getting all road-ragey.
However, if you decided to honk back at me (I mean, the other driver)... well, then, all bets are off and there's no telling what could happen.
I was seriously contemplating ways to initiate a frank and thorough educational discussion with the other driver, possibly leading to an ad-hoc brainstorming session, culminating in some concrete suggestions on improving the intersection that we could take to VDOT, but what ended up happening is that I stewed for a while, then went to Lake Anne, where I browsed for a bit at the Reston Used Book Shop (cut short because looking up at the higher shelves was hurting my neck), then went to Cafe Montmartre for a few drinks and to use the open wifi hotspot.
Incidentally, it's an optimal day for outdoor laptop use: No wind, no bugs, temperate, and cloudy enough so that the sun is behind a big diffuser, with minimal screen glare.
I was on Spring Hill Road, getting ready to hop onto the Dulles Toll Road:
Now, it's covered by the Dulles Toll Road overpass, so you'll have to trust me on this, but there are two left turn lanes, which undergo a leftward lane shift as you pass under the overpass.
So, if you're in the left lane and not paying attention, you'll ignore the lane shift and continue straight, cutting off the driver next to you. If you're lucky, said driver will anticipate this, avoid the collison and simply honk his horn instead of getting all road-ragey.
However, if you decided to honk back at me (I mean, the other driver)... well, then, all bets are off and there's no telling what could happen.
I was seriously contemplating ways to initiate a frank and thorough educational discussion with the other driver, possibly leading to an ad-hoc brainstorming session, culminating in some concrete suggestions on improving the intersection that we could take to VDOT, but what ended up happening is that I stewed for a while, then went to Lake Anne, where I browsed for a bit at the Reston Used Book Shop (cut short because looking up at the higher shelves was hurting my neck), then went to Cafe Montmartre for a few drinks and to use the open wifi hotspot.
Incidentally, it's an optimal day for outdoor laptop use: No wind, no bugs, temperate, and cloudy enough so that the sun is behind a big diffuser, with minimal screen glare.
Tags:
Labels: driving, dumb things
posted by Joelogon at
3/14/2008
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3 Comments:
Yeah. There are reasons why I don't carry a gun in my car. Wisconsin drivers are pretty damn clueless, and I've got an itchy trigger finger.
Anyway, sorry to hear about the sore neck. You might want to try a good soak in a hot tub in Bermuda with fruity drinks and a boatload of beach babes.
By
Dan, At
3/15/2008 1:34 AM
I have a similar situation on my commute home. The painted lines on the road shift, but the seams in the pavement do not. A significant number of drivers pay more attention to the seams than to the lines, so I tend to get a lot of honks for heinous act of staying in my lane. It made me furious at first, but I quickly got used to it.
By
surferelf, At
3/16/2008 12:20 AM
Hi. Looking for a "cut me off" picture (I know it's weird.. long story.) And google led me to your blog and I spent quite a bit of time reading your blog. Very interesting. :)
I didn't get to read them all cause I have to get up at 5pm and still couldn't find the "cutt me off" picture. hahaha.
Anyway, just letting you know that your blog is awesome. :)
By
Haeseon, At
11/08/2009 9:34 AM
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