the rules according to me

this is not going to be a post about montreal drivers... though it could be. but i'm still saving that for another post. this is more about driving etiquette (or lack thereof) that i've experienced all over the world. i hated it in australia. i hate it in canada. i'm sure i'd hate it just as much in europe, but i've never driven there. so here are my top 6 pet peeves on the road:

1- not signaling. whether you're turning or just cutting in front of me, in the city or on the highway, the courtesy of a signal light is nice. i am, unfortunately, not a mind reader. so i generally don't know where you're about to go when you're driving in front of me. signals are surprisingly easy to use and take only a fraction of a second to turn on/off. and they save me from cursing at you.

1a-  late signaling is just as (if not more!) annoying. if i pull up behind you at a red light, and you only turn the signal on after i'm there, you will likely see my arm raise up in frustration and see me mouthing "c'mon!"in your rearview. surely you knew you were about to turn before you stopped at the light.

2- not waving. i know this sounds petty, but if i let you into my lane (or forgive some other road-sin that you've committed), for the love of god, just put your hand up and give me a quick wave of thanks. otherwise you seem like a pretentious git who feels it's your born right to cut in front of me. nothing enrages my husband faster then a rude cutter-inner.

2a- getting mad at me if i don't let you in. honestly! just because someone slowed down in your lane or a truck stopped to unload something, doesn't mean you automatically get to cut in front of me. wrong! i choose the wrong lane all the time (when i drive, at the checkout of the grocery store, buying tickets for the movie, etc.). i admit, it sucks. but it's no one else's fault. just mine. sure i might get irritated with the super slow cashier, but i keep it to myself (or rant to my spouse/friend) and then move on.

3- not pulling ahead when turning left. the amount of times i've been stuck at a light twice (twice!) because the person in front of me didn't inch forward during the light have been too numerous to count. did young drivers teach you nothing? inch forward. inch forward. it's not that hard.

4- driving slowly in the fast lane on the highway.  i get it, you're doing the speed limit. but i'm not. so regardless of how fast you're going, you should get out of the way and move back into the slower lane. i abide by this rule, even when the person who passes me is blurry because they are going so fast. it's my own prerogative. if i want a ticket, so be it. who are you to stop me?

5- using 4-ways as "get out of jail free" lights. ok, here's the thing. when you randomly stop in a lane, or pull over somewhere you aren't supposed to- whether you're blocking traffic or not- turning on your 4 ways does not mean you can do whatever you want. "triple park for 20 mins? no problem. i put my 4 ways on".

6- taking 2 parking spots for one car. last, but certainly not least. this one drives me mental. i'm sorry, but that fact is that if you actually drive a car that is nice enough to warrant the "oblique park" or the "smack between two spots park", then you probably wouldn't park it outside. in the parking lot. at costco (or other such shops). your dodge/chevy/pontiac does not qualify as a good enough car. i don't care if it does have tinted windows or a personalized plate that says "imawsme", it doesn't need that much room. if you suck that much at parking, you should take another driving course.

i had thought about adding "playing bad music loud enough that i can hear it in my car" to the list. i guess i just did. darned drivers. suppose this explains why i generally ride my bike. which is a whole other story in itself...

xo