People don't notice what's going on around them, use their phones and all kinds of other devices, read newspapers and maps, take a nap, eat, drink hot beverages, smoke and light cigarettes, or try to pick them up after they dropped them, apply make up, everything's possible.
When I was 20 I lived in a city about 30 kilometers away from my home town. One day my mother and I were driving back to my home town after I had a small surgery on my foot. Somewhere on the Autobahn we were driving in the middle lane, about to pass a huge truck. Suddenly, without warning, the truck's turn signal showed up and, at the same time, the truck moved into our lane. And hit our car. We got pushed to the left lane where another car hit us at full speed. My mother managed the impossible and kept driving because, apparently, the truck driver hadn't noticed anything and kept driving. My mother honked and yelled, despite my efforts to get her to pull over and stop the car until the truck finally noticed her and pulled over to the shoulder. All this while the poor guy in the car that hat hit our rear sat in his car wreck on the left lane, watching us driving away.
While the police changed our tire so that my mother could drive us home (she's cooler than James Bond my Mom!), I watched a number of trucks passing us and understood why this accident had happened. The drivers read newspapers, had their feet up on the dashboard, talked on the phone, seemed to watch TV, ate, or seemed to be asleep (!). A few times I saw them moving the steering wheel to the left to pass a slower truck. They move the wheel and hit the turn signal at the same time and all of this without a prior look over their shoulder or at least into the side mirror. I am not saying that all truck drivers are like this and their work conditions do suck big time. But this complete disregard combined with not owning the car and not being in any danger of physical damage by getting hit by a car, at least not by our little VW was just shocking and incredibly scary.
Riding a bicycle through Hamburg provided a lot of eye openers as well. Granted, many bicyclists are not much better than most car drivers but a lot of them try to make it easy for car drivers but do have to fear for their lives. When it comes to bad experiences with car drivers, I remember one very vividly. I was riding back home from work on the bicycle path, on the right side. When, suddenly, a taxi pulled over from the other side of the road, across a continuous middle line (as in DON'T CROSS THIS LINE EVER!) and directly onto the bicycle path, a few meters in front of me. I barely managed to stop my bike without hitting the car. And I got angry! I looked up and started yelling at the driver. No four letter words but words that seem appropriate when someone almost kills you in a place that should be considered half way safe for a bicyclist. And what did he do? He got out of his car and started yelling at me. Lots of words I'd rather not repeat here. In retrospect, I should have, at least fake hit his car. I had a witness who was almost as speechless as I faced with this guy's
Riding a bicycle through Hamburg provided a lot of eye openers as well. Granted, many bicyclists are not much better than most car drivers but a lot of them try to make it easy for car drivers but do have to fear for their lives. When it comes to bad experiences with car drivers, I remember one very vividly. I was riding back home from work on the bicycle path, on the right side. When, suddenly, a taxi pulled over from the other side of the road, across a continuous middle line (as in DON'T CROSS THIS LINE EVER!) and directly onto the bicycle path, a few meters in front of me. I barely managed to stop my bike without hitting the car. And I got angry! I looked up and started yelling at the driver. No four letter words but words that seem appropriate when someone almost kills you in a place that should be considered half way safe for a bicyclist. And what did he do? He got out of his car and started yelling at me. Lots of words I'd rather not repeat here. In retrospect, I should have, at least fake hit his car. I had a witness who was almost as speechless as I faced with this guy's
reaction to the incident. But I didn't. Because I prefer myself and others to be safe and uninjured to teaching someone a lesson. However, sometimes I just can't resist. Too many times I saw people who let their children walk on the street side of the sidewalk without paying any attention to them or, who pushed their strollers on a bicycle path while talking to a friend, in person or on the phone, or just looking into the sky. So one time I stopped my bicycle a few inches in front of a stroller, pushed on a bicycle path by a blonde posh woman who was busy exchanging the latest gossip with her friend. To her credit, she immediately began yelling at me for endangering her child (or maybe just the expensive McLaren stroller, who knows). I just looked at her and said that if I had been a car or a less attentive bicyclist her child would have been dead or severely injured now. She didn't seem to get it. And honestly, I don't know what will make her get it. Maybe a car that hits her little girl at 35 miles an hour and sends her flying through the air would do the trick...
Now that I live in California, with a daily commute on one of the busiest freeways in the state (fortunately, I don't have to drive myself), riding my motorcycle on busy and not so busy streets and roads, I have plenty of more opportunities to see the scariness of car driving in California! In order to get a drivers license you need to pass a written exam and a behind the wheel driving test. No minimum classroom and behind the wheel lessons with a certified (and more often than not seriously crazy) driving instructor. Just a few hours with mom or dad or friends with licenses who are old and bold enough to let you drive why dying a slow death in the passenger's seat. This explains a lot. There's not a lot of common sense, no skills that come with driving experience, and being taught what to do in unexpected situations by an expert. Such as how to drive backwards uphill on a steep icy street. I've seen more than enough helpless, stunned faces and behavior upon the sight or the occurrence of something unexpected. Such as a jogger on a sidewalk that someone almost ran over because the driver did not look left or right before driving on the Safeway parking lot. Yelling at them didn't help either. Well, in situations like these I usually revert back to German. Because it's just more satisfying to use four letter words in your native language. However, those two old Asian ladies couldn't have looked more terrified, being yelled at by this sweaty, tall, red faced, angry German. Though I don't think they understood why I was so angry. And, worst of all, they didn't even stop the car. They just looked at me and kept driving. It's the LEFT pedal! It's not so difficult, there are only TWO in almost all US cars!
I really try to be more Zen about this. After all, being angry and yelling at people never helps and is bad for my health and well being. But I have to say that this is the one thing that still makes me angry. People drive cars as if they're operating a toy. Not one of the toys that could actually kill you when operated negligently. A car is a damn killing machine! How can people be so afraid of becoming a victim of a terrorist attack or a plane crash and still get in their car every day and drive on a Freeway? Or, worse, walk through the city, cross streets, ride their bicycles or motorcycles? I'm grateful for every day that I do not get killed or severely injured by a vehicle whose driver just checked his texts or lighted a cigarette. Just a little more common sense, attention, and the realization that it takes practice to become a good driver. Until then, the brake pedal, rearview mirrors, frequent head turns, and undivided attention while driving are you best friends. And all other road users will be, too.
Drive safely :-)
Now that I live in California, with a daily commute on one of the busiest freeways in the state (fortunately, I don't have to drive myself), riding my motorcycle on busy and not so busy streets and roads, I have plenty of more opportunities to see the scariness of car driving in California! In order to get a drivers license you need to pass a written exam and a behind the wheel driving test. No minimum classroom and behind the wheel lessons with a certified (and more often than not seriously crazy) driving instructor. Just a few hours with mom or dad or friends with licenses who are old and bold enough to let you drive why dying a slow death in the passenger's seat. This explains a lot. There's not a lot of common sense, no skills that come with driving experience, and being taught what to do in unexpected situations by an expert. Such as how to drive backwards uphill on a steep icy street. I've seen more than enough helpless, stunned faces and behavior upon the sight or the occurrence of something unexpected. Such as a jogger on a sidewalk that someone almost ran over because the driver did not look left or right before driving on the Safeway parking lot. Yelling at them didn't help either. Well, in situations like these I usually revert back to German. Because it's just more satisfying to use four letter words in your native language. However, those two old Asian ladies couldn't have looked more terrified, being yelled at by this sweaty, tall, red faced, angry German. Though I don't think they understood why I was so angry. And, worst of all, they didn't even stop the car. They just looked at me and kept driving. It's the LEFT pedal! It's not so difficult, there are only TWO in almost all US cars!
I really try to be more Zen about this. After all, being angry and yelling at people never helps and is bad for my health and well being. But I have to say that this is the one thing that still makes me angry. People drive cars as if they're operating a toy. Not one of the toys that could actually kill you when operated negligently. A car is a damn killing machine! How can people be so afraid of becoming a victim of a terrorist attack or a plane crash and still get in their car every day and drive on a Freeway? Or, worse, walk through the city, cross streets, ride their bicycles or motorcycles? I'm grateful for every day that I do not get killed or severely injured by a vehicle whose driver just checked his texts or lighted a cigarette. Just a little more common sense, attention, and the realization that it takes practice to become a good driver. Until then, the brake pedal, rearview mirrors, frequent head turns, and undivided attention while driving are you best friends. And all other road users will be, too.
Drive safely :-)
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