Driving Antiquity
Although I am only one of a minority, I consider myself a defensive and agressive driver. I've observed, studied, concluded, and applied conclusions to the nature of traffic and my driving performance therein. I am not in any way claiming a breakthrough of knowledge, it's mostly my use of common sense and paying attention (which many drivers seem unable to afford).A major concern of mine is the presence of senior citizens on freeways, especially in a large metropolitan area (like Houston). Although, no one can ever include every person in a group of people when naming their characteristics. Some senior citizens are able to retain their coherence and have progressed in sync with the advancement of freeways and drivers. Being said, based on experience, I consider most senior citizens to be traffic hazards, and I believe that they jeopordize the safety of themselves and other drivers.
A few reasons:
- Speed: Most seniors prefer to gain 5 to 10 less miles per hour on freeways than the posted limit; and many of them feel it is safest to do this in the leftmost lane. This causes other drivers to apply brakes and change lanes that would otherwise be unnecessary.
- Acceleration: The color green (among others) takes a great deal of time to compute into the minds of most seniors, as does the instructional impulse to "apply pressure to gas pedal," causing a lapse in time before they can accelerate. This subdues every driver behind them, forcing them to wait.
- Disorientation: Unless driving in a familiar area, most seniors give the impression of being confused, or unsure of their destination. They search diligently for the sign that identifies their exit, while still in the left lane (because it's the safest). When the find their exit, they must use their (yacht-sized) car as a traffic halt to crawl over to the exit lane. This causes a cluster of hurried drivers to form on the freeway, and in many instances a traffic jam that lasts through rush hour.
For these reasons, I believe it would be benefitial to test the coherence of drivers somewhere between the ages of 65 and 69, and senior citizens 70 and older should say goodbye to the automobile altogether.
LET'S KEEP AMERICA'S [LEFTMOST AND ALL OTHER] LANES SAFE!
posted by Smith @ 8/02/2005 11:46:00 AM
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