Morons in our Midst

Tuesday, while walking back to work from my car after lunch, I saw the after effects of a fender bender.

A Toyota truck was pulling out from the curb. Sandwiched into the driver side front tire was a Subaru Outback (or some similar car). Looks like either the pickup driver didn't look for traffic, or the Subaru didn't stop for the truck pulling out.

The thing that makes them morons is that they left their vehicles like that, blocking the entire lane in the middle of downtown Victoria, while tourist season is starting to pick up. Traffic was starting to pile up, yet the drivers were just standing there looking at the vehicles.

I took a peek as I walked by, and could see some sheet metal damage, but no obvious hindrance to the driveability of either vehicle. Why not get the hell out of the way?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Most of my stories here revolve around the moronic things I see in the drivers around me on the streets of Victoria. This is no exception.

While driving along Esquimalt Ave on my way to Thrifty's tonight I ran across yet another moron endangering peoples lives.

I approached a section of road where the lane is very wide. It is wide enough for two cars, but it is a residential area, so the right side is generally for parking. I see this van coming up behind me and moving over to the right. I figured he would be turning right at the next intesection. Passing through it, I can see that he is not slowing to turn.

I then think to myself, maybe he is going to park soon. As he passes me, I can see he isn't. He passes one more van in front of me (everyone but this yahoo from Ontario is doing 50 km/h) then guns it and speeds up. He passes one more vehicle, then cuts them off (there was a car parked in the way on the right). He then has to slow down due to other traffic in front of him.

In the end the moron from Ontario ended up in the Thrifty's parking lot. I managed to park, and get out of my car before dippy had even found a parking spot.

Last Saturday when I drove Suede to the airport, I experienced yet another instance of moronic driving. To be fair, it was an older gentleman driving, but still, his inattentiveness could have killed someone.

It was still early, and very dark out. As I approached the airport, the speed zone on the highway was 90 km/h. Of course I was doing something close to that, but I was in the left lane since the left turn lane was opening soon. As I was nearing the left turn lane, said gentleman moves over from the right lane to the left lane. No big deal, he was doing 80 km/h (maybe a bit less). I figured he was also going to the airport.

As I was slowing, the left turn lane opened, and I moved over into it. I expected the other driver to do the same. I was wrong. Halfway down the left turn lane (now that the lane marker line was solid) he puts his left turn signal on. Again I figured he would move over, and again I was wrong. As we approached the left run lane's stop line, he hadn't moved over. I left plenty of room in front of me so he could get over, but this guy stopped dead on the highway! Incredulously I watched this guy in the left lane of the highway, with his lef turn blinker on. If anyone came up on him at 90 km/h they wouldn't have much time to change lanes or stop. I honked a few times, but there was no recognition. I honked longer, and he made a half hearted attempt a changing lanes. Now he was half inthe left turn lane, half on the highway.

Today while driving home I witnessed some pure brilliant driving skills. Yup, it was at a 4 way stop. I don't know about the readers here, but I consider 4 way stops pretty easy to figure out.

One of the nice things that I like to see at a 4 way stop, is that if it makes sense, the opposing lanes can both go at the same time, as long as neither of them are turning left.

Well today a guy in a BMW in front of me gets to the stop line. After the cross traffic goes he starts out into the intersection, but rather slowly. There are no turn signals, and he looks to be going straight through.

The oncoming driver then decides he is going to go. Just as the oncoming driver starts, the BMW guy slams on his brakes and comes to a complete stop in the middle of the intersection, and mouths off to the oncoming driver (he also threw in a couple choice hand gestures). The oncoming driver has a few choice words as well.

The way I see it, the BMW guy definitely should have used a turn signal to let everyone know what he was doing.

This lady takes the cake for aggresive driving.

Sue and I were heading out to the Tsawassen ferry Sunday afternoon. A red light stopped a group of cars, and I was in the left lane. In the right lane there was a mini van, then a chick in a black Honda Civic Sedan.

The light goes green, traffic starts off, we get up to speed. The mini van is a little ahead of me, but I am gaining on it. By this point we are all doing at least 90 km/h, if not more.

Chicky, who is apparently in a big hurry, decides I am not passing fast enough, floors her little 4 cylinder, and does a diagonal pass from the right lane to the left lane between my truck and the mini van. There must have only been a few feet on either end of her vehicle.

I was not impressed, so I honked at her. Sometimes I wish I had installed a large air horn to scare the crap out of people. I could see the chick just shrug as if she didn't understand why I was laying on the horn.

A little while later there is anothe red light. She is in the left lane with another sedan in the right lane, and just after the light, the right lane ended. When the light goes green, she guns it. The sedan also takes off, and matches her for the most part, but then when she was barely in front on of the sedan, she moves right and cuts him off. Sedan-dude, not liking her so close switches to the left lane. Chicky sees this and starts to move left, but only goes halfway so she ends up straddling the line, and blocking the sedan!