Bad CARma

Dear Friends,

I urge you not to promote bad CARma. Ha, get it? Play on words. Karma. Right. What do I mean by bad CARma?

Don't honk at people excessively. A friendly little *beep* so they stop texting and look up to realize that the light is green is acceptable.

Don't cut people off. (Possible accident?)

Don't ride someone's rear bumper. (Another possible accident, and possibly out of spite from the driver in front of you.) Today I watched someone lay on their horn for a full minute and half because the person in front of them applied their brakes, which is their right as a driver, yes? It only made the person in front of them respond spitefully by going slower and continuing to apply his brakes. Ideally, if you're the angry horn-pounding driver, you should just go around this person (it was a 2 lane highway). Ideally, if you're the brake-applying spiteful driver angering the car behind you, you should move over and out of the fast lane. But we do not live in an ideal world.

Don't be an angry, aggressive driver. The roads are not safe as it is. There is no need for you to take your anger out on your fellow driving citizens.

Yield to pedestrians - when it's their turn or when in a crosswalk. I must tell you that a LOT of pedestrians don't even realize that they are crossing when they don't actually have the right of way. IF THE HAND IS UP, DON'T WALK! I almost ran over a child on a scooter today because her mom was like, "IT'S SAFE TO CROSS EVEN THOUGH THE HAND IS UP!" Not good.

Let crazy angry people pass you so you don't have to deal with any of the above situations.

Let people who are trying to parallel park take their time. Parallel parking is stressful enough without someone zooming around you and not giving you the space to do it, or someone honking at you to hurry up. It only takes 15 seconds and you cannot be in THAT much of a hurry. And if you are, you better have a wife in labor or a bleeding friend, otherwise it's your own fault and you should leave for wherever you need to be earlier.

The better CARma you put out there, the better CARma you get back. Pay it forward. Maybe the world will be better. Take your time. Put down your phone. You don't need to text "Haha" or "Ya" or "Ok" while you're driving. You really don't need to do it. Look up. Drive both defensively and assertively. Avoid an accident. Avoid hitting a pedestrian or animal or object. Avoid getting pulled over (and not by driving faster than the cops). Driving is a privilege, and a dangerous privilege that requires your full attention and courteous conduct.

I am guilty of many of the above - and I'm sure you are too. We are not perfect beings. Just try to be more aware.

Respectfully,

A fellow driver