Today’s Thursday Thirteen is brought to you today by the first snow of the year in Toronto (so it’s from last week and I’m just posting it now).
The snow reminded me that a lot of drivers on the road suck at driving their vehicles in any weather conditions which are not perfect. I’m not worried about my driving, I drive defensively, check my mirrors regularly, know how to use my car and respect that driving dangerously can cause death to myself, my passengers and others on the road… What I am scared to death about, is the other drivers on the road.
So to help you better navigate the winter roads, here are the 13 ways you can tell that you are behind a shitty driver.
13) The other car is driving without headlights on and it’s dark, foggy, winter (and the car is a white one) or just hard to see. How can these people not know? Don’t they pay attention and notice when there is no headlight reflection on the road or the car in front of them? When they cannot see the path in front of them clearly… Really?
12) When they speed up to cut someone off as opposed to just taking their foot off the pedal and sliding in behind you. But no… They speed up, cut you off, and when they have to break hard, they force you to break hard too (or plow into the back of them). You honk, they flip you the bird. Very uncool.
11) When you see someone pull away from a stop street / traffic light and they’ve just screeched their tires / wasted $4.00 in gas doing so. I’ve always felt that people who don’t respect their cars and treat them nicely are bad drivers and won’t respect other vehicles or the rules of the road.
10) Drivers blaring music – and it’s the wrong place for them to be doing it. On a residential street, or somewhere where the base is so loud that your windows are moving and you can no longer focus on the road is about the volume they are not paying attention to the road either and are trying to be oh so cool.
9) They have those stupid self-tinted windows. It’s so NOT cool when the plastic tinting starts to bubble and when I’m behind them and cannot see through to the front of the car to see the traffic in front of them. Not only does it look cheap, it’s dangerous. No wonder the cops pull these cars over. Go be badass somewhere else.
8) They have a cover on their license plates… Why? Are they hiding something? Are they trying to use a toll road and not have to pay? Do they think the cheap crooked plastic shield will stop their plate from being caught on photo radar?
7) You see them driving for long periods of time on a spare tire. Not only is the spare meant for a very short trip – to get a regular tire – but with drivers who treat them as regular tires do by using them is putting all other cars at risk when that tire pops and the car spins out.
6) They have a ton of toys in the car – stuff hanging from the rearview mirror, toys lined up across the back wihndow, or on the front dash. A clear sign that the car and driver and more corncerned with how their car looks than whether or not they are able to obey the rules of the road.
5) If you are at an intersection ,behind a car making a left turn, the light turns yellow, then about to turn red and that car starts into their turn but takes it really slow and cautious turn instead of clearing the intersection and allowing you to get through too. They’re clueless. Shitty drivers.
4) Hatch backs – If the car in front of you is a hatch back with a lawn motor engine but is souped up with a spoiler, twin exhausts, racing stripes, etc, then be sure and understand they are all flash and no substance. It’s still a hatchback, no matter how shiny the tire rims are
3) Huffed up windows – If you notice that the car in front of you has windows all covered in condensation and the fog that comes from the car getting warm and the outside being cold, then you should know you’re behind a shitty driver. All they have to do is turn the fan on low to defrost and viola, they can see.
2) You think it’s okay to drive with snow on your car – then not only are you a crappy driver but you also hold yourself in higher esteem than others do. You think it’s okay to get on the highway with your car covered in snow knowing once you pick up speed that it will clear off your car, except it also disrupts the vision of all the cars behind you. Take 2 minutes before you jump into that car, buttercup. The cold is not going to freeze you..
1) You drive a BMW – I’m pretty sure I’ve beaten this one to death but BMW drivers are the Mercedes wannabes but who cannot afford a Benz, so they get a Mercedes and develop an attitude. Driving fast, cutting people off, following too close, driving on the shoulder, driving in 2 lanes. All poor driving techniques can be found in Mercedes driers. Just be careful!
The Urban Daddy® 