Watch out for that....

I hate driving through construction zones. I get tunnel vision, my fingers clamp down on the steering wheel, and I get completely paranoid that I'm going to run into one of those big giant you-can't-miss-'em safety orange barrels. Not only that, it appears that people forget how to drive when they enter into a construction zone. Since they started widening the road near my house, there have been two accidents. One of them was a fender bender, which I can see happening in a construction zone. You gotta rubber neck and see what work has been since the last time you drove through there, right? No need to pay attention to that car that is in front of you! I have no clue how the other accident happened... somehow, the driver managed to flip their car completely over. He was fine... car was totaled.

I felt like I was driving in a race tonight on the way home. There were people that would come flying up behind me, get right on my bumper, then swerve out and pass me. Did I mention that this was just on the highway? With plenty of room for people to pass me on my left, since I was in the far right hand lane and there wasn't anyone in the two left hand lanes? What the hell is up with that? Do I have a target painted on the back of my truck?

I really don't get the whole "let's swerve in and out of traffic because it will get me to the place I need to be one second faster" attitude. I love it when I see someone who has been weaving in and out of traffic get caught at the same light I do. All I wanna do is stick my tongue out at them and say "neener neener neener". Course, these days it would probably get me shot.

I guess that since I haul horses all over the place, I try to be a little more cautious about how I drive. You have to be more aware of your surroundings and of other drivers when you are hauling. You have to be able to anticipate what the other driver is going to do so that you don't get into a dangerous situation. You think it's difficult stopping when someone cuts you off? Imagine having 5,000 lbs of trailer pushing you along when you hit the brakes. Hence the braking distance thing. If you see a huge amount of space between someone how is hauling and the next car, it's not because they are going slow. It's because they know it's going to take them a long time to stop. Trust me, folks... don't get into that space unless you get on it and get out of their way. It would really suck if you ended up being someone's hood ornament.