I have been saying a lot of this lately:

"What the fuck are you doing <insert make/model of car here>??"

and

"Yeah, hi. That's my lane."

and

"Nice blinker, jackass."

What is it with this city, rather this state that causes good, intelligent people to drive like absolute shit? It's almost as if there exists some magical membrane that one must pass through on the way into Maryland that makes people drive like they don't have sense. I almost get killed driving to work on a daily basis. Yes, I typed that correctly. Daily.

What some of you might be thinking is: "Why, Jamie Lee. If you're having so much trouble with other drivers, maybe it's you that is the bad driver, and not everyone else?"

Good point, but no. I use my blinkers, check my blind spots. I give people ample room when I get over into another lane. I don't ride my fucking breaks through every fucking green traffic light. What is it with that? Green means go, right? Then go. I accelerate to the speed of traffic when I'm merging onto the highway. Even if that means having to drop back ½ a mile on the exit ramp when I get stuck behind Mr., Ms. or Mrs. Wanna-merge-at-30mph-in-a-65mph-zone. I don't ride someone's ass around an exit ramp just to have to jam on my breaks when a sharp turn comes. Actually, I don't jam on my breaks at all on exit ramps because I drive stick and I can use my engine to slow down my car. New concept, I know. All-in-all, I try my hardest to be consistent and considerate. But what is the fucking point of being considerate anymore if no one around me gives a shit?

And the thing that gets me the most: when someone is drifting into my lane because they're talking on the phone and not realizing they're about to hit me. Or someone doesn't check their blind spot and starts to come over into my lane despite the fact that I'm right beside them, attempting to pass. If I honk my horn lightly at any of these people as a "hi, I'm here. Please don't hit me" gesture, I'm the one who gets flicked off. I'm the one who gets yelled at. Apparently I'm an asshole for letting the bad driver know they've fucked up. It doesn't make sense. It's not that I take any of it personally- I don't. It's just that unlike Pavlov's dogs, unlike B.F. Skinner's rats, these people don't learn anything. So they're going to keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again. It is really sad actually.

At this point, all I can do is continue to drive as conscientiously as possible and try to avoid the reckless ones.

I leave you with these final words:

/rant