If you’ve read many of my posts, you already know that I love to people watch. It’s fun, funny and can even teach you a thing or two about yourself.  I’ve really been watching people in traffic the past couple of weeks, and once again, it’s been a real treat. Let me introduce you to the people I’ve met recently.

 

The happy driver.

Now, this particular species is definitely on the endangered list. These are the people who are smiling, singing with the radio, happily conversinging with their other passengers, and generally looking relaxed and pleasant. They aren’t yelling at other drivers or cutting in and out of lanes just trying to get ahead. They are just enjoying the ride. I just love these people. I wish there were more on the roads.

The oblivious drivers.

These folks scare me. The other day I was driving home and the lady in the car in front of me was texting and drifted out of her lane into the right lane beside her nearly running into the driver who was on her right. He was totally unaware of the car almost striking him because he was talking on his phone. As it turns out…I was the only one paying attention and I was the only one of us about to have a heart attack. There are way too many people driving who are paying NO ATTENTION at all to the road. Jesus take the wheel!

The obnoxious drivers.

You’ve all seen these guys and girls. They ride up on your bumper fully believing that if they get close enough to push you that you will be annoyed and go faster. Sometimes they honk, wave their arms, flash you a finger, or a dirty look. They change lanes without signals and squeeze in where there is truly not room for them. These people think that they are the only ones worthy to be on the road and will take dangerous chances to annoy you and get you out of the way. The scariest obnoxious drivers are the motorcyclists who ride between lands and squeeze in everywhere. I certainly hope that no one I know drives like this.

The overly cautious (aka the roadblock).

These drivers are always going a minimum of 5 mph UNDER the speed limit. They will stay in the left lane which is normally designated for faster drivers and they will start to annoy you because you will have to ride your brakes in order to stay back far enough.Then you have to deal with the obnoxious drivers that drive on your own bumper while staying a safe distance from this roadblock.  These drivers can make even the Happy Drivers scowl a little bit. I appreciate the fact that you are being cautious and think you’re being safe, but if you are the overly cautious driver, please take as many back roads as possible and please avoid coming out during rush hour!

The Textbook Driver.

I just love these people! They  are the teacher’s pet of drivers. These folks use their turn signals all the time. They look before they merge. They signal and scoot over a lane so that other cars can easily merge onto the interstate with them. These lovely people leave safe space between themselves and other drivers and they would never even dream of not waiting their turn at a 4-way stop. These people restore my faith in humanity. I hope everyone I know is this kind of driver!

 

    Now I know that riding around on the crazy streets of Charleston, SC can be a real trial for even the best drivers. I tend to be the Happy Textbook Driver, but if I’m not careful and intentional, I could become that angry, obnoxious driver. So, I’m not saying that I’m perfect or that I’m never tempted to cut someone off to better my position on the road. I am saying that, like so many other good habits in life, good and peaceful driving is a choice. When I feel frustration building up during my commute, I consciously take steps to keep myself in control. I’ll sing to the radio, pray, converse with the people in my car or even have a chat with myself about how getting angry or upset in traffic is not worth the energy that it would be zapping from my life. This summer, why not take the challenge to be the Happy Textbook Driver and make your time on the road even more enjoyable!

Listfully yours,

Vicki