That guy in front of you, the one who can't stay in his lane, who takes 20 seconds to respond to the light changing to green, who needs four lanes to make a turn, who slows down for green lights and sails through the red -- who amongst us hasn't made rude anatomical and ancestral references? Perhaps we should be more tolerant.
Steven Cramer, a neurology professor at the University of California Irvine, has published a study in Cerebral Cortex that indicates the presence of a gene variation in about 30% of the population that makes them not only bad drivers, but drivers that don't learn from their mistakes. I've read many studies showing that nearly all accidents are caused by a small percentage of drivers and that that group is not distinguished by high speed driving. They're just bad drivers and maybe we now have some idea why. As to whether this genetic marker occurs more frequently in some population segments? Why yes, I do have a ten foot pole, but it's on my boat and I'm not going there, thank you.
I don't want to put too much faith in one study, but I do like studies that confirm my prejudices and maybe the next time some idiot looks me in the eyes and pulls out onto the highway 5 feet in front of me or stops on the entrance ramp or cruises through the red making a right turn, I'll roll down the window and shout "You miserable, brain-derived neurotrophic factor deprived mutant!" instead of the usual.
It must be an inherited gene because there are whole families, maybe even whole communities of bad drivers here in NC!
ReplyDeleteBut it's good to know I was correct in calling them brain damaged all these years...
They're all refugees from Florida.
ReplyDeleteIn my first 40 years of driving I only saw one fatal accident. I've seen about 5 in the last 8 years in Florida.
My parents had a friend who was 98 and blind and still is a licensed driver and I could swear I saw Stevie Wonder behind the wheel the other day.
You gotta love Florida! What other state excuses bloody homicide by reason of dementia?
ReplyDelete"You miserable, brain-derived neurotrophic factor deprived mutant!"
ReplyDeleteLMAO! That's a mouthful.
Speaking of brain and driving... Ahem. I'm almost too embarrassed to say this, but a week after my brain surgery in March I was so eager to get back to "normal" that I drove to grocery stores, doc's office, etc. (massive stupid, I know) -- and couldn't figure out for several days why other drivers honked at me. Sure, I had balance problems, but only when walking and standing up; behind the wheel, I felt stable and confident.
And that was the issue. I had no idea that I was swerving from side to side like a drunk. It's a miracle I didn't cause an accident.
My post-op instructions didn't mention driving, though the info I found from Doc Google specifically forbade driving for at least *six weeks* after the type of surgery I had. Sigh.
But there I was, blissfully unaware of my reckless on-road behavior. This seems to be a pattern for brain-impaired, of any sort, whether through injury or a genetic glitch, folks behind the wheel. Not a clue that they do something wrong.
So my one lesson (among others) from this experience: have a bit of compassion for brain-impaired drivers and, whenever possible, take their car keys away.
LOL Elizabeth! If you had swerved infront of me, I would've used my "usual" terminology, which is, "She must be having a stupid day."
ReplyDeleteMy dad and I were just having a driving conversation last night, because my son is a NEW driver. UGH! I told him how nervous I am EVERY time my son leaves the house. I said that even as an "experienced" driver there are times when I do "stupid" things, but fortunately nothing bad has happened. My dad is of the opinion that there are times when the other driver compensates for our lack of awareness (or should I say "stupidity").
Maybe I need to change my terminology to "brain-impaired". As in, "She/He must be having a "Cerebral-Cortex impaired" day."
In NC there are daily "chicken" contests - someone is always taking their half of the road in the middle. I have a big truck and can't get in the gutter so I'm getting plenty of use out of the horn.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you the number of times I finally get past a swerving,fast/slow car only to see that the driver is busily texting or talking on their cell phone!
Several times I've hit my horn to wake up a sleeping driver. One time I realized too late the guy was asleep and he hit the guardrails in the median, bounced back on the road and drove for two more exits before getting off the highway.
I don't buy into the "it's in the genes" argument. I've known people who were dyslexic who taught themselves to deal with it and managed to get through college and lead productive lives.
Mostly, barring unusual situations like Elizabeth's, I think people are lazy and distracted. They do not consider the fact that they are piloting a 3,000 lb lethal weapon until it is too late.
Overcoming a lack of ability requires knowing you have it. According to people who publish numbers, a large majority of people think they're smarter and better at driving than the average. They're not and we don't really teach driving so they have little opportunity to face their shortcomings.
ReplyDeleteNow contemplate someone driving a 20 ton vehicle with 2000 HP and no brakes! Yep, no license requirement to drive a boat here.
I have smashed a few vehicles up, rolled one over, then quit getting drunk. I never thought I was a good driver and most folks who've ridden with me don't argue the point. But I'm aware of it and it makes me more vigilant, most times, rather than less. I did have some horse's ass cut me off this morning and I thought, "Well, brain impaired or not, if he keeps that sort of thing up long enough, he'll be dead." I just hope it's not something I'm involved in.
ReplyDeleteAnd of the 30% that are genetically bad drivers, 70% live in Virginia. Goddammit, I've never seen such idiotic fucktards behind so many steering wheels in my life. I understand the bad driving in major urban areas--it's survival of the fittest and there's no time to be polite if you want to get to work or get home at a reasonable hour, but I can find no rhyme and/or no reason to the driving here. When I lived outside of DC 10 years ago I never got upset at the traffic jams or the driver who didn't use his signals or people who darted into an opening in the traffic line, because it had it's own kind of logic to it, but since I've moved to central VA I have seen things on the road that make no sense whatsoever and illicit the requisite dose of anger and vehement ill will.
ReplyDeleteI once passed a driver here in VA while he was reading a newspaper and using both hands as he did so. I almost shit my pants. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived up north, I used to see that during the morning rush hour -- all the time.
ReplyDeleteWomen putting on make-up, men shaving, everyone eating breakfast and always a few paper readers.
I don't own a car and get around mainly on foot or bicycle spending most of my time as a pedestrian.
ReplyDeleteHere in Seattle the red traffic light and the stop sign are de facto optional. And of course folks behind the wheel of an automobile are infinitely more important than a mere pedestrian.
I love it when a driver fails to yield the right of way and turns through a cross walk causing pedestrians to sprint or reign in and mouths the word "sorry".
Unbelievably (and dangerously) rude yet oddly polite.
Go figure.