Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Dopey Mopey Utah Drivers

This week is crazy!!

AND WE HAVE SNOW!! On the mountains. The leaves just barely started to turn last weekend, how can there be evil snow already. Oh well.

You know, early last week, there was a traffic boo-boo made by - I assume - UDOT, on the highway I use to get to work.
  • Boo-boo#1: No warning. Normally they'll have signs warning you there will be construction on such and such days and from when to when. Not this time.
  • Boo-boo#2: reducing a two-lane plus turning-lane highway to one lane, for a two-mile stretch of highway that wasn't even being worked on.
  • Boo-boo#3: Not having a turning lane for a busy intersection, causing a backup of cars upon cars - most of which needed to go straight - to have to wait for the few that needed to turn left. Hence making everyone have to wait for approximately one light cycle per every three cars.
  • Boo-boo#4: They did this in RUSH HOUR.

Lucky for me, I'd left for work 20 minutes earlier than normal that day, and only got to work ten minutes late. I've been using the freeway ever since.

Since the experience, I think I've come to realize the difference between Utah traffic and the little bit of southern California traffic I experienced while there. Why Utah drivers and California drivers each think the other is the worst ever.

In California, there was no real speed limit, only "The Flow." And "The Flow" was usually about 10 mph faster than the posted speed limit. Go any slower than The Flow and prepare to be honked at, flipped off, cut-off, screamed at, or something similar. Conclusion - California drivers are openly aggressive. In Utah, honking and flipping off are 98% unheard of, but Utah drivers are passive aggressive. Tailgaiting, slowing down to bother the tailgaiters, refusing to move for motorcyclers, not allowing someone to merge, and positioning your car's butt just over far enough that no one can squeeze by you are all very common.

Maybe, Utah drivers are not being passive aggressive but they're just downright dopey. I often have a hard time figuring out if a driver is really trying to piss me off or if they're just a frickin' moron. That's right, I said MORON. As in, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE YOU HAVE NO CLUE HOW TO DRIVE! Ha ha. Maybe I belong in California. I have a co-worker who drives the same highway and has the same anger-tendencies toward traffic and we gripe about it all the time to each other. Her son teases her, "Mom, they have pills for that kind of thing."

But how would you react if this happened to you: You're driving a one-lane highway, and a tractor pulls out two cars ahead of you. The speed limit is 50 and you need to get to work, but the guy driving the tractor mopes along at about 20 mph. You are the third car behind the tractor, but pretty soon you see a line of cars behind you going a mile back, at least. Wouldn't the polite thing for the tractor to do be to pull over and let people pass? Nope! Not this guy. He's off in la-la land, not a care in the world. Finally you reach a point where you can pass, and you see everyone behind you honking their horns and flipping him off as they pass him. (It must've been part of the 2%). What would you do? Where's a cop when you need one. If I were a cop I'd be pulling his butt over so fast. 30 over the speed limit is considered reckless driving, what is 30 under the speed limit, huh?

4 comments:

Cali said...

I heard that people at UVU just got funding to do research on why Utah County has the highest report of personal well-being and also the highest number of depressed people. I'm willing to bet the depression has to do with the traffic. And maybe the snow.

Jax said...

Very insightful, Cali. Having lived in both Utah and California, I think your analysis of Utah vs. California drivers is spot on. I've always thought the same thing, but you put the ideas into words most eloquently--"openly agressive" and "passive agressive," no kidding! Great stuff.

Anonymous said...

Good post Cali. Very well said!

JohnnyB said...

I feel your pain. You inspired my post last night.