Living 20 minutes away from campus, the daily commute has taught me one thing – there are a lot of bad drivers out there. It’s like as soon as you buckle your seat belt, you turn into a demolition derby participant. Contrary to popular belief, your car is not supposed to be your personal phone booth with a Starbucks attached.
I admit I’m guilty of a few bad habits myself, like eating while behind the wheel, but when you look over at the car beside you and the “driver” is looking down reading a book (no kidding, I was on the highway and saw this), it’s time to call attention to this tragedy.
That said, I’ve made a top five list of bad driving habits. Some of you need to realize you are endangering the lives of others. The rest of you can just laugh, knowing what I’m saying is true and try your best to avoid the craziness that comes with this mode of transportation.
1) Four-way stops – I don’t know why so many people seem to be ignorant of how they work, since they are all over Johnson City, but every time I approach one, it seems like confusion is written all over the faces of the other drivers.
“Who’s supposed to go next? Ack! I guess I’ll just charge out there since no one else looks like they’re going to go.”
That’s when it becomes a complete disaster with near-misses and swerves galore. For those of you who don’t know, whoever gets to the stop first, goes first. Then the second person who got there goes, and so on.
2) Tailgating, is really one of my pet peeves. If you like the scent of gasoline fumes, hang out at your local Exxon, but don’t creep up on my back bumper! This is actually pretty stupid and causes most fender benders.
If I have to stop short for any reason, I don’t want your car to pay a close and personal visit to mine. According to my old driver’s ed teacher, you are always supposed to be able to see the bottom of the tires of the car in front of you (even when you are stopped at a light).
3) Talking on your cell phone is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you are not so wrapped up in your conversation that you aren’t even looking at the road.
Try your hardest to not be on the phone while driving, but I know there are times when you have to be. Hands-free sets are a really good option if you just can’t wait to find out who James is dating now or what Janet really said about Tracy.
4) Running red lights – I know we have all seen the train of cars that forms when a light is changing from yellow to red. Don’t hop on that train! Not only is it dangerous and illegal, if someone were to hit you, it would be your fault. Your destination is not worth dying for.
According to the Johnson City Public Works office, a light usually changes within three minutes. That’s not even the length of a good song on your radio! Just be patient and wait it out.
5) Speaking of radios, I know I am not the only one who loves to jam out in my car after a stressful day, but when I can hear your music from three cars away and your bass is literally shaking my car, it’s time to turn it down!
If you spotted yourself among this list, don’t worry. We all occasionally do stupid things while driving.
However, now that you’re aware of your bad habits, you can work on not being Tailgating Todd or Chatty Cathy. See you on the road!

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