Sarah's Hate List, Volume 7: Work Edition

I went to Richmond with my dad on Saturday morning. There was nothing out-of-the-ordinary about this trip, except for a bunch of near-accidents such as the following:

1. A girl in the Tim Horton's Drive-Thru threw her car into reverse and gunned it for no reason and came to a stop about an inch from my dad's car and only because he slammed down on the horn.
2. An old man driving a huge van whipped out right in front of us in a parking lot when we had the right-of-way. Had my dad not stopped, he would have driven right into the side of my dad's car.
3. A mini-van pulled out in front of us from a gas station and then slammed on her brakes while in the road having realized she pulled out in front of us.
4. A girl drove through a parking lot at about 45 miles per hour and cut right between my dad's car and another parked car as I was getting out of the car and had I not stopped and pulled the door shut, she would have taken the door, and possibly me, out. I don't know know why she felt the need to drive right between the only 2 cars in the huge parking lot.

All of this happened in about 20 minutes, too. So in honor of surviving that, I am dedicating this hate list to all the stupid things done out there by drivers. I know that nobody is a perfect driver, but the following 20 things have no excuse.

1. People who creep forward at red lights in anticipation of the turn to green. Not only is that amazingly annoying, it makes you look like the most impatient person on the road and probably contributes to quite a few accidents every year. Bonus points if said creeper actually goes through the intersection while the light is still red because they were sure it was green. This really does happen. I've seen it a shockingly high number of times.

2. Drivers from Canada in Port Huron. Normally, I have no problem with Canadian drivers. But in Port Huron, that's a different story. I don't know if they think that they're still in Canada because they're so close or if they just honestly don't think they need to follow any laws here because they won't get tickets or something, but these Canadian drivers account for most of the traffic mishaps I see every day. Whether it's pulling out in front of me, not using a turn signal, thinking that brakes should be reserved for special occasions, using 2 parking spaces for their SUV, or driving 20 miles under the speed limit when the posted speed limit is only 35.

3. People who cop an attitude at others for stopping at yellow lights. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. In fact, the law encourages it.

4. Anyone who at any time fails to use a turn signal. It's really not that hard, and it prevents people behind you from wanting to smash your head into the ground. Get used to it, ok?

5. People who don't use turn lanes. They are there for a reason. They are not there simply to separate directions of traffic. When you need to make a left hand turn, please enter the turn lane. Do not come to a dead stop in the far left or only lane and expect to make your turn from there. Others will become angry with you.

6. On the same note, people who attempt to use turn lanes but don't fully succeed, like when someone enters a turn lane too late and thus only really has their front tires in the lane while their back end sticks out and blocks traffic anyway.

7. People who misuse turn lanes. This could mean people who drive in them for extended lengths to bypass slow or stopped traffic, or people who get into them way too early and then stop because someone else is there needing to make a turn, and then they basically are both blocked because the car who's correct needs to move up farther but the car who's incorrect is blocking them and can't back up.

8. People on bikes. This does not necessarily include people who ride as primary transportation and keep off to the side and with the flow of traffic and what not. This does, however, include children and adults who have no regard for the traffic and act like they are in charge of the road. For instance, I turned onto a road today, and a man on a bicycle was riding right down the middle of the road. We made eye contact and he continued to ride. I stopped, because the only other option was to run him over. He continued biking and went right past my window and gave me a nasty look like I had just taken his rights away or something. Really, guy on flimsy bike? Do you want to challenge me?!

9. Pedestrians. Of any sort. Unless you are crossing in a marked crossing area when my light is red and yours is CLEARLY green/go/whatever-the-symbol-is, then please stay out of the freaking road. In South Carolina, you would be dead. Do not walk out in front of me and then get offended when I do not stop for you or when I give you a mean look. You do not have the right of way. Also, do not stick your head out in the road to view oncoming traffic. Find a crossing area and use it.

10. People who drive through the parking areas of a parking lot instead of through the clearly-marked driving areas. It's not that hard. Please learn the difference.

11. People who fail to look before backing up. I don't know if everyone out there just feels that they are entitled to take back space they previously occupied at any given time without any indication of this, but they do not have this right. Please stop exercising a right that you don't have. As Master Shake said, "You don't own space so stop acting like you do!"

12. Motorcyclists who speed. It's your funeral and I will not feel bad.

13. People who pass on the right when someone is stopped to make a left-hand turn on a one lane road where there is no shoulder for passing on the right. It's illegal and when I stop instead of breaking the law and you honk your horn at me, I want to blow your car up with my mind. I haven't mastered that technique yet, though.

14. Slow drivers on the expressway, people who can not maintain a consistent speed on the expressway even though traffic completely allows for it, and people who fly by at 94 miles per hour. You all need to go back to driving school.

15. People who are inept at merging. This could mean people who don't understand that they need to adjust their speed while merging onto an expressway, or it could mean people who refuse to move over a lane and allow traffic to merge easily, even though the lane on the other side of them is completely empty!

16. Narrow, two-lane road with parallel parking on them, too. Can we say crowded?!

17. Cars with brake lights that malfunction in any way. This could mean that the light burned out and you haven't bothered to fix them, or it could mean that someone broke the cover and you used tape to distract the police from noticing. Either way, when you hit the brakes, nobody knows it and trouble is bound to come swiftly.

18. Other drivers who stare at me at stop lights/any instance where prolonged amounts of stopping is necessary. Leave me alone, creepy!

19. Any driver who does not understand the concept of a 4-way stop, a flashing red light, or a light flashing yellow for one road and red for another. You are going to cause an accident or severely anger the people who avoid you and your accident-causing ways.

20. People who speed up when you try to pass them because they are doing 20 under. Inevitably, once they realize you are next to them and intend on passing them, they gun it and travel at about 10 over the speed limit instead. Moron on the loose!