Commuting Fun!

Yesterday, I was on my way down to the beach to do some renovation work. The road I take has quite a few twists and truns to it, so the 35 mph speed limit is no joke. Road was a bit wet too.

A white car comes around the blind curve in front of me doing I'd say about 55, and skids into my lane. I jump on the breaks, and brace myself, because if they can't correct, I'm going to eat it. Nothing but ditches and trees on either side of the road, so nowhere to go.

The car hauls ass back into their own lane, but still going way to fast, and I found myself in a sweet spot, because they arced into their lane, around my car, and ended up over-correcting which sent them skidding into a 180 and landing them in the ditch behind me and the only thing that kept the car from rolling was that the ditch was deep enough to wedge that sucker in. So I pull off into a driveway, and jump out because I'm not seeing anyone getting out of the car.

I hustle back to the car in the ditch, and there's a girl in there about college age. She can't get the door open, so I pull it open and give her a hand on out. She's half laughing, and I think that was pretty much her way of dealing with the moment, so I didn't chew her ass out for nearly taking me out with her horrible driving.

Right then a mob of bicycle riders come around the bend with their spandex and windbreakers. All the pieces come together. Those asshat bike riders are always blocking up traffic on that rode. This girl sped up to get around them, which she shouldn't have done, and lost control.

And then one of the moron bike riders says. "You're going to need a tow truck."

 I hate those people so hard. Last year a guy got arrested for puting tacks in the road to flatten their tires. I'd have totally paid his bail. They ride on groups of dozens, and if you're behind them on that road you are completely screwed.

Unfortunately, its the most direct route to where most of my work is.

Balls.

Driving is so last millennium

I'm hearing more and more about teenagers being urged by their parents to go get their drivers license. No this is not going to turn into yet another of Uncle Nozz's "when I was there age blah blah blah". I got my license when I was 17. Little late, but my father wasn't the most enjoyable driving teacher to have so I waited until he was out of the country with his reserve unit and handled it. The reasoning behind teenagers now not wanting to go get their driver's license is that they aren't seeing the need for it.

And really they do have a bit of a point. Gas prices are more then triple what they were when I was teenager. $8 would have me set for a week. So, it is a lot more expensive. But lets look at why a teenager would want their drivers license: independence, getting a job, and going to hang out with their friends.

The independence issue pretty much a mainstay. Either you get your license, depend of others to get you where you need to go, or hope your area has an excellent mass transit system. This used to baffle me about some people in big cities like new York who never learned to drive. Once I considered how traffic can be in those cities and you can get nearly everything you need in walking distance or by taking mass transit you don't really need it. Besides which, after driving in Montreal I don't even want to think about learning to drive there. That's just scary. I wouldn't want my kids driving there. You want to know why Georges St. Pierre has such fast kicks? From dodging traffic, that's how.

As for the kids working and needing to be able to drive to get to work. Well, again if you're in a big city its not much of an issue. If you're not you're probably going to need that license to get a job, because you can only sponge off the folks for so long.

The hanging with the friends thing is interesting to me. I've noticed a marked decrease in mallrats nowadays. If teenagers are there its to buy what they need. I did notice that teenagers in malls are troublesome where my dad lives in West Virginia. Mall security has problems with kids hanging out there and causing trouble, kinda like I'd hear about kids doing here when I was a teenager. Why that area of West Virginia? Hard to say, but I do know that my Dad can't get decent internet up there.

Teenagers don't need their licenses to see their friends because there's their picture right there on Facebook or Twitter. Texting has replaced long phone calls and it seems the internet has replaced actually hanging out. Why set up a place to meet and spend the money on gas when you can just log in? It really is a lot more practical.

Practical sometimes doesn't equal healthy. I'm not going to knock a kid for not wanting to spend money on gas when they can use tech to contact people and chat with them. Still, driving is a good skill to have. That and getting out from in front of the computer, after you read my blog of course because its important that you read everything I type, and getting some face time with people is a good thing.

So it seems driving isn't as much of a necessity to teenagers now. Probably a good thing because the roads are a little safer.

Yes I had to get a jab at teen drivers in there somewhere.