What the hell...

Why is it that there are so many morons on the road? You know the ones - they are the ones who aren't as good a driver as YOU are. The other day, I was patiently waiting to turn right, in order to exit a shopping center parking lot. I had to wait for someone approaching who A) did not have their turn signal on to alert the surrounding drivers as to their destination (not that I would have pulled out in front even if they had the appropriate turn signal on, I wait til I see the tires moving, thank you Drivers' Ed); B) was experiencing technical difficulties in executing said turn because they were doing it one-handed due to their other hand holding their CELL PHONE up to their ear; and C) they were not wearing their seat belt.

The train crash in Los Angeles was due in large part to the driver using his cell phone to TEXT someone and didn't see the red light.

A teenager was hit and killed because he was texting and walked out in the road in front of a moving car. Not a driving incident, but still a moron on the road incident.

Can't you wait til you stop the car to have your conversation? Is the world going to end if you wait until it's safe in order to text someone? Lastly, HOW THE FUCK did you get a driver's license anyway?

That part scares the crap out of me. I took my teenager to take the written portion of the road test, and the DMV here in Virginia actually allows translators in order for someone to take the written test. Not sure about where you all live, but the ROAD SIGNS here are in English. You moved to this country; learn the fucking language. My great-grandparents came here in the early 1900's. You think they had a translator to help them with anything? HELL NO. They learned to speak and read ENGLISH. There were neither street nor store signs in Ukrainian.

That was a tangent rant.

Please take a few safe driver's tips from someone who has gotten into one single accident in the 26 years that I've been driving (and that wasn't even my fault - someone walked out in the road in front of the car in front of me, that driver stopped short and I rear-ended them; no ticket was issued).

1. Don't talk or text on your phone - pay attention to driving. You're operating a several-hundred-pound-possible-death machine - respect that.
2. Use your FUCKING turn signal - let other people know where you're going; we don't read minds. Plus, it's the LAW in Virginia: Section 46.2-860 of article 6 which describes this form of reckless driving:
   Failing to give proper signals - A person shall be guilty of reckless driving who fails to give adequate and timely signals of intention to turn, partly turn, slow down, or stop, as required by Article 6 (§ 46.2-848 et seq.) of this chapter.
3. Show some courtesy; if you have to merge into traffic, take turns. I know, so easy when you're spouting off to your kids about taking turns, but no, don't take your own advice.
4. Save your personal hygiene routines (makeup or shaving) for before or after you get in the car. No one cares how you look while you're driving. I do care that you're swerving into MY LANE.
5. Speaking of my lane - those solid white lines - you're not supposed to change lanes while in those. Nor are you supposed to change lanes in the middle of an intersection.
6. Finally, riding my ass is not going to make me go faster. I try very hard to keep a few car-lengths of space in between me and the person I'm following as to avoid problems; something else I learned in Driver's Education way back in the day. Don't ride my ass. I have a tendency to slam on my brakes when someone is riding on my ass. Did you know that for the most part, any rear-end collision is the fault of the person hitting the rear? I may have slammed on my brakes, but if you weren't so intent on performing an anal exam on me, that wouldn't have happened.

I probably have more, but this is sufficient for now.