Road Rage in Austin

I really need to just get this out there. I'm amazed how poorly people drive in this town and how it is so freakin' obvious that most of the Austin drivers out there are on auto pilot.

1. Why do people brake when there is no one in front of them?

2. Why do people brake before they get into the turn lane? I can understand if there is someone already there but jeez, get in the turn lane and then break.

3. People who stop in traffic to allow others to turn left in front of them from a cross street. This is probably the most dangerous move out there.

4.. The drivers that forget the school zone has ended and continue to drive 20. Okay let's just chat a bit about slow drivers. Really? Why do you have a car if you are going to drive that slow?? You could possibly walk faster, ride your bike faster....

5. And to those drivers who want to move into another lane....Hey lady! yes you, the one who was on the South Lamar Bridge this morning, in the left lane, wanting to move over into the right lane. You had no cars in front of you so you had been sitting there for awhile with your blinker on (thank you for the blinker). So I honk at you to let you know "hey, move your ass over" and you pause - yes pause....and I guess you are thinking about moving over? Isn't that what you wanted to do? So you move over and I wait......no thank you wave! And of course you are on the phone. I regretted being a friendly Texas driver today.


And lastly...on my way home from work, I sit at the light at Manchaca and Slaughter. There is an HEB to the right and there is always some yahoo that wants to turn left out of the parking lot onto Manchaca. And please note people, there is a light to turn left onto Slaughter from the HEB parking lot that would probably get you to your destination faster and safer. Use it! So the traffic backs up at that light at rush hour every day to allow these left turn people to do their thing.

One day I'm sitting there and this big ole' truck in front of me is sitting about a car lengths from the car in front of it. I'm thinking he is waiting to let one of the cars from the HEB exit in front him. Now let me add a bit more to the picture...I'm in line in that critical spot...the one where when the light turns green, that if everyone ahead of you cooperates, we can get a big group of us through the light. So the light turns green. Mr Big Truck hesitates and then....wait for it....decides to turn right!!! So not only did this affect how many of us made it through the light...he could have turned right at any point while we were sitting there. He had a clear right turn lane just sitting there waiting for him.

If I could have, I would have pulled him over and bitch slapped him.