Bad driver? Pull over

By: Steve Maloney – Columnist, Senior

On my way back to campus after a much-needed midterm break, I inevitably drove through the daunting construction site on Interstate 75 along the skyline of our beloved Dayton, Ohio.

With the few minutes left until we were back at the university, my car mates and I reflected on some of the happenings on the road that really picked at our very beings. Some of these I’m sure you thought about before, but I find it necessary to put them in text form.

First, some people need to realize that a blinker is meant to be a temporary mechanism in their vehicle. If you have no sense of peripheral vision or you just have no sense at all, this might be difficult for you. In this case, take some form of public transportation to get where you need to go. For those of you who continue to drive with a blinker on, you better be driving in circles.

On the topic of blinkers, how about those convenient hazards. Don’t get me wrong, they’re useful when parking in the 30-minute delivery zones or when you are pulled over. Did you catch that last one? When you’re pulled over. Not still driving. When I see someone driving in the right lane with their hazards on, it just sends a message to me that you can’t handle the roads.

Another aspect of road discourtesy that often goes without consequence is the poor soul that cruises in the fast lane at or below the speed limit without any intention of moving over. I respect your decision to strictly follow the law, but I have to get back to school to continue my studying. Please move over and keep traffic flowing.

Speaking of merging, why haven’t more people utilized the “slingshot” maneuver from “Talladega Nights” when one car is coming on while another is trying to get off? It’s something you learn on the first day of driver’s-ed: you let the person coming on speed up in front while the person getting off slows down for the ramp at 30 mph. We cannot continue to have friction on the roadways trading paint.

As many of you may remember from another work of mine (check the archives), I wrote a piece about common courtesy. Much of what I’ve said can be applied to the roads. Not following these guidelines is equivalent to not holding the door open for someone. Come on, people. We can do this.

Until next time Flyers, let’s avoid the unnecessary burning of rubber and instead let’s roll down our windows and feel the Spring-like temperatures.