There Were a Lot of Tears Today

Fifteen years of a perfect companionship ended today. When he first came home he would fit in the palm of one of my hands. Soft white fur with a black nose made it a joy to gaze upon him. On many days he would take either my wife or I, and sometimes both, on a walk. He never got over 20 1/2 pounds but today he only weighed 15 1/2 as in the last month he was rapidly losing weight. One month ago he was in the hospital for six days and it seemed that he might get better. But he did for only a few weeks and again started to deteriorate. The last three days we had to take him to a vet for an evaluation. Monday evening we couldn't make up our minds even though we knew that we probably should have. But Tuesday again, then Wednesday. After watching him and trying to take care of him with medication, pain pills and eye drops nothing seemed to work in his favor. For the last three days he followed either my wife or I everywhere we went in the house. It seemed that he was trying to say, why aren't you helping me, am I invisible to you? As much as we wanted to keep him at least until Christmas, and forever, so he could open the toy that I had bought for him. He used to like to open his own present on Christmas day. So excited he was. My wife was very brave today for making the decision that was best for him. I'm glad and maybe I was a little selfish to not make the decision on Monday night as we had him for an additional two days. But then, today, it was time. His name was Max.

You Don't Let Other Drivers Merge

Mergers are different than Sliders which I discussed in an earlier Post. Has this ever happened to you? You have plenty of room to safely merge when entering a highway but when the other driver sees you he speeds up. You attempt to pass a car (safely) in a passing zone then try to get back in the travel lane but, you guessed it, as you get alongside the other car he speeds up. This is one of the rudest and childish acts you can engage in. One of the lanes ahead is closed due to construction so the cars have to merge into one lane. The proper procedure is to take turns, one car at a time. How many of you try to 'hook-up' to the car in front of you so the other car can't take his turn to merge? It's your inferiority complex that makes you do these things. You feel, which is different than thinking, that the other driver thinks you are inferior to him. Guess what, he's not. He doesn't know you, wasn't thinking about you, doesn't care who you are. So far you're both equals. But by not following the rule you now not only prove to him but also to yourself that you do have an inferiority complex.

You Are A Young Driver and Don't Follow Safe Driving Rules

How many times do I and others have to tell you that driving or riding in a car is dangerous. Yesterday four teenagers were killed and one critically injured in a one car crash. The driver, 16, only had a Learner's Permit which doesn't allow him to take other minors for a ride. Probably one or more of the three passengers who were also 16 knew that, but failed to take it into consideration and ask the driver if he had a regular license. One of my earlier posts speaks of the responsibilities of a passenger. A passenger is responsible for his own safely. If the passenger is uncomfortable with the way the driver is driving then he not only has the right but an obligation to tell the driver his feelings, i.e., “Hey! Slow Down.”
The police investigation won't be finished for quite some time so I will only speak from my teaching, experience and observations of younger drivers.

You Are A Rubber-Necker

A few days ago I was driving on an Interstate Highway. Up ahead on my side of the highway was an accident. I, and the other cars, had to slow down and were delayed approximately 5-7 minutes. Now remember, the accident was on my side of the highway. But the cars on the other side were stop and go and were backed up for approximately three miles. Their delay was much longer than on my side. There was no physical barrier for their delay, except, you guessed it, the RUBBER-NECKERS. When the first driver slows down to see the carnage, don't we just love to see carnage? The next driver puts on his brakes which causes the next car to slow down faster so the next car practically has to stop. Of course by this time all the other cars in the rear are stopped, and the stop and go crawl begins. Being in the rear you get angry because of the delay for no reason other than the rubber-necker up front. Of course it's fine when you are in front and cause the delay by your rubber-necking. After all you're more important than the rest of us and have a right to act as a jerk. If you don't want him to delay you, then don't delay him. The Golden Rule works in traffic also.

You Don't Use Your Headlights Properly

One of my biggest pet peeves is when you are right behind me at night and you have your high beams on. Your low beams, I'm sure, are sufficient to see where my car is - 10 feet in front of you. The high beams flood the inside of my car and tends to wash out the view in front of me which is dangerous. Truck lights are usually higher than car lights so if you're close to my car your low beams are the same height as my back window. Therefore you still flood my car with light. I would appreciate it if you kept back and stop tailgating. During the day it's not as bad but it's still aggravating. When following other cars at night use low beams. High beams not only shine in the rear view mirror but also the left outside mirror which reflects the light into the driver's eyes.

You Don't Stay In Your Lane

So many drivers when the road curves go over the center line. It's getting to be nerve racking as I, and other drivers, have to move over and slow down as we don't know if you're just a lazy driver, drunk, trying to scare me or what? Also when turning onto another street drivers tend to cut the corner by going over the white line at the stop sign or red light on the other street. Approaching cars then again have to defer to you. How much time do you save vs. how many accidents occur because of this stupid maneuver. Stay in your own lane. Remember in my Post "You Don't Follow the Stop Sign Rules" where almost every driver stops beyond the white line? This then forces you to make a wider turn which makes you angry. You're angry at him, he's angry at you; two idiots angry at each other at the same time - priceless.

You Are Dumber Than A Rock

There are at least 6,550 drivers in Connecticut that are dumber than a rock. During the week before the Labor Day weekend the State Police announced that they will be out in force during the Labor Day weekend - which they do every year. So there shouldn't have been any surprises that more troopers would be enforcing the traffic laws. Were you surprised that one stopped you? You were told they would be out there but you went out and did it anyway.
CT State Police Statistics (Violations) for the weekend:
Speeding 1,940
Seat Belts 283
Other Violations 3,440
Drunk Driving 72
Accidents 265 (Including 52 injuries, 2 fatalities).

The 6,550 total is just for the State Police. How many more tickets/violations did the local police give out? Another 5,000, 10,000? How many tickets were given out by the police in the other 49 states? How many drivers throughout the United States are Dumber than a Rock?

You Don't Leave Room for the Car Stopped at the Intersection to Back Up.

The vast majority of drivers do not stop at the white line at stop signs and traffic lights. They stop beyond the line and creep to the intersection. Many times into the intersection a few inches or more. Upon seeing a car approaching the driver may be concerned about an accident, or a large truck trying to turn left from the right and wants to back up. But, alas, you pulled up to within inches of his car so he can't back up. The fun part about this maneuver is that you now got him really scared that his front end will be hit or that the truck driver will get out and beat him up.
Which would be better:
1. Always leave 3+ feet between your car and the one in front of you at the intersection OR
2. Use your car to push his car further into the intersection.

You Don't Turn Off Your Turn Signal

Wait! Didn't you just tell us to turn them on? Yes, if you're going to make a turn. But when you have already made the turn and they don't go off automatically then you can mechanically turn them off yourself. Most of the time after you make a 90 degree turn they will shut off automatically. If the turn is 45 degrees or less they may not go off. The entrance ramp on most Interstates is 30 degrees or less so many times they stay on. Most drivers are aware of this, but not you as you're busy texting, on the phone or just plain stupid. Generally when entering a highway your left blinker is on or should be for a right entrance (and the right blinker if a left entrance). Now if there isn't a turn for several miles then you should have turned them off or you're indicating that you're going to make a left turn onto the medium divider at 70 mph. Of course if there is a left exit just ahead, if they are off you should turn them on. When I see this I usually, if I can safely do so, try to signal the driver.

You Don't Use Your Turn Signal

Of course, though, if you use it the bulb may burn out someday. To fix the problem then you can either sell the car (recommended) or buy a new bulb which would cost the price of a bottle of Jack Daniels (not recommended). Which would give you more happiness, having a car or a bottle of Jack Daniels? The answer would differ if you're a teetotaler or an alcoholic. You're driving in the passing lane on the interstate and want to move to the travel lane. You drive one-third into the other lane, flick your signal once and continue into the lane. Don't you think I already know that you're changing lanes? At this point save the bulb as your signal is totally useless or you've already had an accident.

You Are A Slider

Safe drivers follow the 2-second rule (mentioned in a prior post) which translates into approximately one car length for each 10 mph. This is a safe distance from the car in front. At 60 mph there is a six car length gap. The slider comes along and slides in between the cars, yours and the one in front of you, causing you to be only one second behind him and he less than one second behind the front car. He not only placed himself in danger but you also. You then have to slow down and back off to a safer distance, i.e., to follow the 2-second rule. To avoid this danger to yourself and others only change lanes between cars if there is enough distance so both you and the car you drive in front of can maintain the 2-second rule. (Suggested by Sherrie T.)

You Think The Blade Will Stop Because You Turned Off The Lawnmover

We all have to occasionally clean the lawnmower housing. If the grass is a little wet it will clog up. I certainly hope you never put your hand under/inside the housing when the mower is on. Of course we turn the mower off before doing any cleaning or maintenance inside the housing. But just because you turned off the mower does not mean that the blade, even though it's stopped, will not start up again. Many times, like in all engines, carbon may build up and get very hot while the mower was running causing ignition.

A safer way that may help to prevent this is to disconnect the wire to the spark plug and place the end far enough away from the spark plug so it doesn't arc which would make the plug active. Before operating and servicing any machinery all the safety instructions in the owner's manual should be followed. If the owner's manual contradicts this tip then do follow the suggestions in the owner's manual.

A police officer who I know very well told me that she had to look for the homeowner's fingers which had been cut off by his lawnmower. Not a pleasant duty. And certainly not pleasant for the injured homeowner. When using any machinery safety is paramount.

You Are A Gap Filler

A gap is the distance between two or more cars. Some drivers like to fill in the gap and get close to the car(s) ahead of them. This usually is due to their insecurity and loneliness. Of course you can't blame them as it's awfully scary to be driving all by oneself without the companionship of other cars. This phenomenon wouldn't be bad if they didn't usually tail-gate.
The mature driver drives inside the gap by himself. Even in heavier traffic I find myself driving alone with a bunch of cars a ways ahead of me and a bunch a fair distance in back of me. In lighter traffic my front and back gaps are close to one-quarter mile. The advantage of this position is quite obvious as if anything happens in front of me I have plenty of time to analyze it and take proper action to avoid a collision. It is also more peaceful and less stressful as you're not always concerning yourself about what the other drivers will do. I don't consciously look for gaps and try to stay in the middle of it. It just happens, as I'm a mature driver. Occasionally speeders do overtake and pass me but this does not affect me. Why should it?

You Believe Everything Other Drivers Tell/Signal You While Driving.

If I'm driving why is this under Personal Safety? Bad guys try to get you out of your car. By signaling/telling you that there's something wrong with your car they believe that you will stop and get out. Once out of your car it becomes a Personal Safety issue. One way to avoid this is to learn the sounds of your car, so listen to it the next time you're driving. If you are being signaled and your car sounds normal, don't stop. If it doesn't sound normal attempt to drive to a more public place. But do not drive onto a deserted side street where you will become more vulnerable. USE YOUR CELL PHONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to call for help. If your car is not drivable then pull over, lock your doors and call for help. Blowing your horn continuously will attract attention and may cause the perpetrator(s) to leave you alone. Only a uniformed policeman in a marked cruiser should be trusted. Bad guys will show you a fake badge to gain your trust.

You Don't Drive Yourself.

Of course I drive myself. I'm sitting in the driver's seat and I'm all alone in the car. Let's explore this phenomenon.

Last week my wife, who was driving, moved to the left lane on the Interstate to pass the car in front of us. The lone car in the passing lane was approximately 750 feet back so there was plenty of room. Upon seeing our car move into “his” lane he accelerated rapidly to catch up and tailgated until my wife moved back into the travel lane. The action of the other driver, my wife, forced him to change his driving speed, get his dander up and place himself, and us, in danger. Why? Did he think that we intentionally insulted him or his driving? Of course he didn't know us or we him. We didn't think anything about that driver until he pulled this stunt. By his action he proved to us that he's stupid and immature.

You start to pass a car and the driver accelerates making it more difficult for you to pass. He therefore did not drive himself as your action caused him to change speed and again endanger everyone involved. How stupid can a driver be to actually have another driver force himself into a dangerous situation.

You Think Wild Animals Are Tame.

Wild: Living in a state of nature; not tamed or domesticated: a wild animal. As the definition clearly states wild animals are NOT TAMED and should be avoided by the untrained person. Even experts are not always out of danger and have suffered serious injuries and death. Siegfried's partner Roy Horn was mauled by a tiger during their show in Las Vegas. The trainer who recently was killed by the whale that she had been working with for a long time.
So what are we untrained people doing having relationships with wild animals? The first story that comes to mind is the lady who was asked by the owner to help get the 200 pound Chimpanzee back into the house. The chimp went wild, a redundant statement as he was already wild, and tore off her hands, nose, mouth and eyelids. She got out of the hospital two days ago after 15 months.
Some "domesticated" animals should be stayed away from such as some breed of dogs. The grandmother who brought her grand baby to her friends house where the baby was killed by the friends dog. The large snake that got out of the cage and killed the owners baby in their house.
If anyone ever asks me to help corral a wild or what I perceive is a dangerous animal, I'll say: NO! And don't ever ask me again.

You Talk On Your Cell Phone, Text or Engage in Distracting Activities While Driving.

The good news is that there are 6,000 less drivers on our highways that won't engage in these type of activities anymore. Did they get smarter? No, they were all killed in car accidents last year. Probably the same amount will be killed this year so next year there will be 12,000 less distracted drivers which, hopefully, will help keep us non-distracted drivers safer.
I am going to assume that 20% of the 500,000 drivers who were injured while texting, etc. got clued in. Not only because of their injuries and their cars being all banged up, but also that their car insurance rates went up for the next three years. That still leaves 400,000 drivers that we have to watch out for. That's why we have to drive defensively.
Special Request: Stay away from my car. Pick on a tree.

You Believe That He Will Stop Beating You.

The odds of that happening are worse than if you bought one lotto ticket a year and hit the Power Ball. The first time he hits you should be the last time. “He apologized and promised never to hit me again.” The apology is to keep you with him so he can continue to control you. The promise is merely a lie as it is impossible for him to keep it. Only mature persons can keep a promise and abusers are probably the most immature people on this planet. The promise will only last until he beats you again, whether it's a day, week or month, but the beating will come.. How many beatings does it take before you have a clue that you should leave?
Why should you leave as early in the relationship as possible and/or have nothing to do with the abuser? Because the sooner you extricate yourself from the relationship the less he has invested in you and the easier it is for him to let go. Once the investment in you, in his mind, is total the only out for him is to kill you.

You Don't Acknowledge Your Pain

Pain is good. It tells us that something is wrong with our physical being and therefore should do something about it. Without pain to tell us that we have a physical problem we would not survive very long.
Six weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating back pain, severe enough to wake up my wife to have her take me to the emergency room. They took an X-ray from the front and sent me home with a prescription for pain. The pills did very little and the next evening the pain came back worse than the night before. So back to the emergency room. This time they took an ultra-sound when the Abdominal Aorta Anerism (Triple A) was discovered. Needless to say I underwent emergency surgery that same night and spent the next 14 days in the hospital. If I had ignored the pain and just taken more pills, and it had burst, I probably wouldn't be Posting now.

You Aren't Careful in Your Driveway.

As Terry S. stated in her Comment that the neighbors kid cut across her driveway as a shortcut and after running over her kids bike now is super careful while backing up in the driveway or out of the garage. Luckily she saw him in time and you can always replace a bike.
You may be thinking, "It's my driveway and I'll do what I want." Have you considered what Criminal & Civil problems you'll have if you injure or kill your neighbor's kid?  Probably won't even be invited to their next cook-out.

You Don't Obey Yield Signs

"To yield is to concede under some degree of pressure." When entering a highway there is a red sign on the right that says Yield. It does not say Merge. To concede means that the other vehicle has the right-of-way; not you. It does not mean Merge. Merge is to integrate safely within the traffic flow. Many drivers attempt to merge instead of Yield. You DO NOT have the same status as the vehicles already on the highway. Let us assume that you enter the highway without regard to traffic as many drivers do and there is a 18-wheeler traveling at 75mph. Even though you merged just in front of him, I believe that you might feel "under some degree of pressure." And probably get killed.

When the traffic is light many drivers, already on the highway, upon seeing a vehicle trying to enter the highway will move to the left lane allowing that car to enter more easily. This is done out of courtesy - not because you have the right-of-way. In heavier traffic he may not be able to move to the left lane. Even in light traffic he may not want to leave the travel lane, which is his right, and therefore his right-of-way. You must then come to a full stop and wait until you can safely enter the highway. (Topic suggested by Brian T.)

You Don't Accept Your Responsibility as a Passenger

As I stated in an earlier Post it's usually the passenger(s) that receive the most injuries in an accident and you are the one responsible for your own safety. What if your children are also in the car? Isn't it your responsibility for their safety also? As soon as you feel apprehensive about the driver's driving - SPEAK UP! It is your right not to let stupid put you in danger. Better that the driver be angry at you now then you being angry at him from the hospital or worse, from the morgue identifying one of your children.

You Don't Follow Highway Passing Rules

On a four-lane highway, two lanes in each direction usually separated by a medium divider or barrier, one of the lanes, the right one, is the travel lane. The left lane is the passing lane. On these highways it's illegal to pass on the right. (Some emergency situations may dictate otherwise).

You Believe That There Are Gun-Free Zones

High schools, colleges, universities, post offices, restaurants, courtrooms, government buildings and several other places are classified as Gun Free Zones. Someone bent on causing mass murder know that no one will challenge them as no law-abiding citizen will have a weapon to stop them. We constantly hear about these killings which politicians use to try to cause fear to restrict the possession of guns.

You Do Not Stop at the White Line at Red Lights

Oh, No! He's talking about those white lines again that everyone violates. Of course if the light is green you don't have to stop at the line, but if it's red then it's extremely important. Most of the lines are fairly close to the intersection but others are quite far back. There are other reasons why besides that there may be a crosswalk.

You Don't Follow the Stop Sign Rules

How can I simplify the Stop Sign Rules. Aren't they already quite simple? Obviously not, as we see (almost) every day drivers violating them without even being conscious of the rules. The law says that you must come to a full cessation of movement. If the wheels continue to turn it is not a full cessation of movement.

You Don't Follow the +1 Rule

Simply put, if you observe one situation that causes you to be concerned or you feel may be dangerous then look for another one, +1; before you proceed.
Lady wanted to make a left turn, stopped her car at an intersection because she saw a police car with lights and siren traveling at a high rate of speed coming towards her. When the police car passed her she pulled out and was T-boned and killed by the second police car. She did not consider the +1.

Firetrucks seldom travel alone. They are usually followed by another firetruck, an ambulance and a few seconds later the Deputy Fire Chief in his car.
This looks like a +1, +1, +1 situation.

When the traffic light turns green you start to go ahead. You were lucky that time because you saw the car trying to beat the light but did you see the 2nd one who is tailgating trying to get through also. One young driver in a second car was T-boned. All I saw was his mother lying dead on the road covered by a blanket.

You Don't Listen To Your Inner Voice

Listen to your "Inner Voice." This is the voice inside you telling you that something may be wrong. Call it what you will, experience, training, sixth sense, intuition or "Inner Voice," but don't ignore it. The greater the perceived danger the louder the voice will be.

Ever go to your car alone in a deserted parking garage? At night? And you saw several males near your car? Especially if you're a female your Inner Voice is now screaming at you not to approach but to go back to what appears to be a safer place.
The elevator doors open and inside are three gang-banger type individuals. Do you get in or wait for the next one? Are you being prejudice, stereotyping or just being safe?

You don't follow the two (2) second rule.

It used to bother me when another car would 'fly' up to my car and hang on to my rear bumper. I finally realized that you must be so much more important than me and that you have places to go and people to see. Me, I'm retired so I never have anything remotely important to do. Another reason it doesn't bother me is because if you hit me you are at fault and you will usually suffer more injuries than me; which of course is fair. And, your insurance premiums will skyrocket for the next three years. The passenger(s) most often suffer the gravest injuries so you, the passenger, have the right to tell the driver to stop tailgating.

Two second rule: Pick the spot that the car in front of you just passed. Start counting 1-1,000, 2-1000. If you passed the spot before you ended the count - you are tailgating. During inclement weather or poor road conditions this should be stretched to 3 or 4 seconds.

You Look At Your Passenger While Driving

You look at your passenger while talking to him/her instead of the road.

Do you know that your passenger can hear you even when you don't look at him/her? As a passenger you should tell the driver that you can hear him and to keep looking at the road. If you don't, you are putting yourself in danger. You also don't have to look at your driver when he is talking.

If you are deaf then I would suggest you pull off the road to have your conversation.