Here's a topic that's come up several times in conversation of late. Not specifically the question I pose in the title, but driving in general and the current state of our roadways.
Living in Southern California, we are used to seeing heavy traffic. It may not be as bad as Los Angeles but we are accustomed to spending some extra time on the freeway, especially during rush hours.
Lately, there hasn't been any traffic to speak of. There can be a slowdown on Interstate-5 in North County due to CalTrans roadwork. You could also see a slow down while passing through any of the County checkpoints.
If you're not from the USA, in California and most other States we have checkpoints which serve as weigh stations for trucks. They also check for drugs and other illegal operations, including citizenship.
Notwithstanding these few delays, the roadways have been mostly clear. What I've come to realize is the lack of traffic doesn't necessarily make the roads safer.
It's not surprising really, but there have been quite a few drivers that don't seem to even know they are behind the wheel of a vehicle.
One person I had to dodge driving 35 - 40 in the fast lane early in the morning. Others are driving slowly in a daze blocking other cars from being able to pass. That is a very normal circumstance that is now super frustrating when no one's on the road in front of those cars.
One other thing that has become clear is there aren't fewer cops on the road these days. They are out in full force and with fewer drivers, we all stand out that much more.
So have I been driving the speed limit? Heck no! I use cruise control and keep my foot off the brake and gas as much as possible.
It takes just under an hour to go from our house to a job in Otay Mesa we have. I typically can run most of the way there and back on cruise control doing 80 MPH.
It's helpful to have the navigator on to warn of speed traps ahead, though I don't always use it now that I know the area.
My demeanor on the road depends on my mood, I suppose. I'm talking back in normal times here. Now there's a sense of freakiness to it all. It puts me more on edge and alert.
But before, I could be a carefree driver if I wasn't stressing any appointments. I could also be very aggressive and assertive on other days in different mind sets.
Yep, I'd even let that middle finger fly when people were being extremely unsafe. Now I don't find myself doing it at all.
Anyways, that brings me back to the original question. How do you drive? And I guess I should add in there, how has driving changed for you since the world turned on its head?
Let me know in the comments.
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