To the World:
I feel that I can’t go another day without writing this letter. It’s a letter that I’ve wanted to write for a long time, but never really had the occasion to do so until now.
About a week ago, I was on my way home from work during my 60-minute lunch break. I work in East Bay and I live in Springville, so it’s a 10-15 minute trip each way. Since almost half of my lunch hour is spent driving, I don’t like to be on the road any more than I have to. So normally, I drive the speed limit or a little bit over. To get home, I take "the back roads" past Kuhni’s and over the train tracks. As most will already know, the road is a two-lane road (one going each way). The speed limit on this road, beginning south of Kuhni’s, is 40 mph. On this particular day, I was on my way home, traveling between 40 and 45 mph (not reckless driving, by any means). Just before going under the Mountain Springs Parkway overpass, I approached two cars from behind, also going south, but well under the speed limit-- probably traveling between 30 and 35 mph. As I approached, I noticed that I was in a passing zone, so I geared down and passed the two slower moving vehicles, most likely at a speed of about 46-47 mph, slowing back down to 40 after passing. As I passed the front car, I noticed a most interesting thing. It was an older gentleman, probably in his 70s or 80s, and he was "flipping me off" as I passed him. Well, my first reaction was one of amusement. "There’s an old man, giving me the bird," I thought. It was so humorous to me because it was so unexpected. However, those feelings of amusement turned to concern and frustration. My point is this-- Why should I be made the target of rude gestures just because I like to drive [at least] the speed limit? If it was a major four-lane highway, and this gentleman was in the right lane, driving 30 mph, I wouldn’t have cared less. However, he was going slow, holding me up, and wasting my lunch hour. All that I really want is to be able to drive the speed limit if I choose, and also for other people driving here in Utah County to be a bit more considerate of other drivers. For example:
ONE: Drive the speed limit. The reason that we have cars is to get from place to place quickly. If you don’t want to drive the speed limit, ride a bike, walk, or don’t get offended when I pass you.
TWO: Signal before you turn. Utah is famous for drivers that don’t signal. You signaling is your way of saying, "This is where I’m planning to go. Let’s all work together so I can do it." Without signals, we’re all just guessing.
THREE: Let people into traffic when they signal. I live close to one of the busy streets in Springville, and to get to work I have to make a right turn followed by a quick left. Sometimes I signal and signal, but no one lets me into the turning lane, even if the light is red and they have nowhere else to go. Along those same lines, when merging into traffic, please let ONE (and ONLY one) person in. I’ve been on both sides of this coin-- returning from sports events or whatever, and not being able to get into traffic because no one will let me in; and going home and being stuck behind someone who lets EVERYONE in. Please, just let one person in.
FOUR: If you’re not turning, don’t signal. Check your signal every couple of seconds.
FIVE: If you’re in a major highway and you’re not passing, GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE. The left lane is traditionally for people who are passing or going faster. When you drive there without passing, it slows down traffic.
SIX: When the light turns green, GO! The other day, I was the fourth car in a left-turn lane, and the green arrow came on, and it took me fifteen whole seconds to get into the intersection. (If fifteen seconds doesn't sound like very long, count it out.) There’s no reason that it should take that long.
SEVEN: If you have to stop at an intersection on a two-lane road, and you’re planning to go straight, get out of the right lane. Otherwise, all those people that want to turn right can’t because they’re blocked.
EIGHT: If you’re approaching a red light and you see someone on your right that wants to turn left (or right), stop and let them in, then proceed to the intersection. Otherwise, they will probably be trapped, the light will turn green, and then it will be REALLY hard for them to turn.
NINE: Don’t rubberneck. Most people have gotten pulled over, and we’ll all tell you that there’s nothing to see, no reason to slow down.
And finally: Don’t take things so personally-- especially you, Mr. Flipper-Offer. People on the road rarely know you, you rarely know them, and we’re all just trying to get to our destination, regardless of how fast we’re driving. Just put on your thinking cap when you drive, look around, and respond intelligently to what you see. By following these ten simple suggestions, imagine how much time and gasoline [and money] we could save.
Thanks,
Eric S. Brimhall
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