Indications
These days, it seems that every time i sit down to write something for my blog that i end up back on my current recurring topic of driving in and around Charleston - particularly how bad it seems to be. Now, I stress again, that the driving in the UK is far from perfect, and the same probably goes true for many parts of the world (Italy take note). There are, frankly, bad drivers wherever you go in the world but, at this very moment in time, a large amount seem to be congregating in and around Charleston. Which brings us to my current pet hate - worse even than the incessant chatter of people on cell phones as they drive, the annoyance of people changing lanes at a whim, and even more of a pain than the drivers who seem to delight in speeding up as i attempt to cross the road. Yep, i'm talking about the singular lack of use of indicators ('turn signals' as they are monikered here) by all and sundry. No matter whether they're turning right, left, pulling over, pulling out, parking in a car park, or you name it, virtually everyone seems incapable of taking the second or so it takes to flick the indicators on. And, hey, they don't seem to realise that cars will actually turn the indicators off and so they don't have to expend those extra few calories reaching up themselves.
Now this may seem like me being really petty but i would put good money that i am not alone in this opinion. The fact that you are left confused as to why someone is slowing down when they're doing so to turn, when you have people cutting in front of you at junctions. In the latter case, this happened to me recently in the dark with some stupid idiot who thought it would be also useful to have his lights off as well. The fact that his car was a dark colour, and that he decided to leisurely crawl across the oncoming traffic not withstanding, I was lucky that the area around him was reasonably well lit (itself unusual in places) and I saw him well in advance otherwise it could've been nasty. In a country where so many cars are bought purely on their size and power (i'm talking about the people carriers, the SUVs and the huge trucks), it makes me think that people are so convinced that no-one is going to mess with them that they can do what they like, indicators be damned, and everyone else has to like it. Well, in such cases, i fervently believe that what goes around comes around.
posted by Chris Clarke @ 6:47 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
It's a timely complaint, Chris. The failure of drivers to use turn signals is rampant in the lowcountry. There are two reasons: 1) cell phone use occupies one hand and most of the mind and 2) increasing indifference toward other drivers. Both factors point simply toward selfishness, a flaw which transcends make and model of vehicles. Specifically, it's an abdication of one's responsibility to others. The discourteous driver makes safety and order on the roads the responsibility of others.
They do suck here in Charleston. I learned to drive up in PA. I've driven here and I've driven in many states across the US. I've driven in countries all over the world (Italy DOES suck). I will say, that the drivers here, are terrible.
One of the first things I did notice when I got stationed down here was the lack of turn signal use. Also the lack of working brake lights, and often tailights.
People try to blame the poor driving on the fact that the military brings lots of foreign non-SC drivers down here. I beg to differ. I firmly believe it's a result of poor (driver's) education, poor roadways and poor signage. The congestion certainly exacerbates the situation as well. :-)
I totally agree. It completely baffles me that people can be so lazy or ignorant, or both. I've been to many parts of the country and the lack of signalling appears to be quite consistent. I am originally from Australia, and it is a very rare occurrence there.
Post a Comment
<< Home