Today my blog is not controversial in the normal sense, but I will not be a very nice fellow. I think however, many of you will agree with me today.
Attention all you drivers out there. YES… This means you. There are some of you out there who seem to have forgotten some of the fundamental principles of operating a motor vehicle. Allow me to re-educate you.
Lesson 1: The Mirrors.
Look to your left, then to your right. Then straight ahead and up jusssst a little. See those? Those things are called mirrors. You have these in your home, they are not new to you. They reflect whatever image is within your view. They are strategically placed on your vehicle so you can easily see around you without having to do too much effort. So why does it seems a colossal effort for you to use them? All you need is to shift your eyes!!! You’d be amazed how much you’ll see, and how less often you might be unwittingly attached to an oncoming vehicle in a collision sort of way. Trust me.
Lesson 2: Road Signs.
Ok, so I know you had to know these to pass the written test, but did you know that you need to remember these on an ongoing basis? Yeah! Crazy right?! Many drivers seem to have confused the Yield sign with a stop sign and vice versa. Just to clarify, you STOP at a stop sign, you merge at a yield. You are not to STOP at a yield sign, unless you want another car ensconced deeply in your trunk. Yields typically give you about 50 to 100 feet to merge into traffic. It’s much easier to merge, then stop and try to jump in. For those of you who seem to think a rolling stop is ok, section 133(1) of the Motor Vehicle act states failure to comply carries a fine of 169.91 for the first offence. Is that worth a 2 second savings on time?
Lesson 3: Speeders.
This one never ceases to amaze me. What the hell is the rush? I wonder if speeders know that the first offense when exceeding the posted limit by 1-15 KM/h is $227.41? Here is a little math for you. The distance on the 102 from Bayer’s Lake to Bedford is approx. 15KM. so at a rate of 100KM/hr would take approx. 9 minutes. If the speed was increased to 120 km/h the time would be 7.5 minutes. Sooooo if caught speeding during that time, as a first offense, the fine would break down to $151.60 per minute saved. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to be anywhere that fast, that it might cost me 151.60 per minute.
Lesson 4: Signal lights.
You may know these. They are initiated by a up and down lever on the left hand side of the steering column. These are meant to alert other drivers that you are changing lanes or turning. Other drivers need to know this, as you can speak to them and tell them. None of us have telepathy. If you do not alert the other drivers in due time, you might cause an accident. Of which will be your fault, and your insurance will go up by likely thousands. A bit much for a hand gesture you could do with 1 finger. Also the fine structure is the same as the Stop sign. First, second and third will nab you 169.91, 227.41, and 342.41 respectively. So use those signals people! The wallet you save might be your own.
Lesson 5: Parking.
I’ve seen people park in the worst of places, and in parking lots in places that had no visible lines to indicate parking, but what seemed like a good idea at the time. A note as well to all the parking offenders, a triangle on the outside of a parking spot is not an indication that you can park your SUV there. It is not a spot for cars. Basic rule is, if the vehicle doesn’t fit in the lines DON’T FUCKING PARK THERE! You are only making things more difficult for others. Is that how your mother taught you to behave?
Ok, I’m through venting for today. But MAN do I feel better!!!
Till next time peeps!
