ubi non accusator ibi non iudex

Last night, all I could say was "I just want to get home." I realize that traffic in and around DC is nuts on a good day. Of course, yesterday had the added fun of rain. First observation: Washingtonians have no clue how to drive in weather.

Keep in mind that while I was born in DC and in many respects consider this to be my true hometown, in reality I grew up in rural Pennsylvania. At least during that time I was less than two hours away. Anyway, that means I learned to drive in the country. Remember the adage about Pennsylvanians: Our grandmothers are doing 60 in a blizzard. How many DC natives have actually been young drivers on rolling country roads feeling their vehicles go airborne every so often?

The point of this post is that while on my way home I was stopped at a light on River Road waiting to make the right turn in order to head north to catch the beltway home. When the light turned green for me, luckily I turned my head left before going. I turned just in time to see not one, not two, but three cars run the red light right in front of me and everyone else waiting at that intersection. What in the world were those people thinking? It was not like they were in the middle of the intersection as the light turned red. It appeared they never stopped, never slowed down as they one-by-one proceeded through to ignore the traffic signal.

And that was not the only nutty driving I saw last night. After I exited the interstate and was on the road home, there was some guy in the left turning lane who suddenly decided he actually wanted to go straight. Of course, that was right in front of me. Then at the next intersection he proceeded to do exactly the same thing. Finally, at the intersection where I make my left turn he was in front of me. Yet again, he decide this was not actually is left turn. I wonder how far down the road he did that.

I see stupid maneuvers all the time in the metro area. So often I see drivers making left turns from right turning lanes and vice versa. People ignoring traffic signals. People nearly broadsiding each other. Then there is the uncooperative me first attitude so many people have. I will never understand people on a highway who will jump into an entrance ramp just to pass one or two other cars. I guess no one understands that their actions just slow everyone down. If there was just a bit more cooperation we would all get to work faster.

Is it any wonder I cannot stand driving around here. I hope not to be here forever. I cannot imagine how much driving around here is shortening my life span.