I usually don't go off on rants but today is my day to do so.  When did people forget how to drive?  Did they even know how to drive in the first place.  Over the weekend I have been in nearly 3 wrecks.  You might say well Lori, maybe it is you.  I can assure you it isn't.

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I began wondering what was going on with Amarillo traffic when my Nixle emails from the APD are more about wrecks than they are anything else.  Plus every time I open my facebook there is another picture of a horrific wreck that happened in or near Amarillo.  What's going on?

I realized that people don't know how to drive.  At all.

First Incident:

I was on I-40 over the weekend and exited Western, I'm on the off ramp about to move into the far lane when a car busts through the yield sign and I had to slam on my breaks to keep from hitting her.  Luckily, no one was behind me or else it would have been a nasty situation. Then she flipped me off and went on with her text. Yep, right there in her hand was her phone and her thumb happily texting away.

Second Incident:

This happened on Friday as I was leaving the station.  As you know, if you have been here, we aren't in the safest place to be exiting on to 34th.  I'm sitting in my car waiting for traffic to clear.  An SUV is across the street waiting her turn, with the blinker on letting me know she wants to go west.  My blinker is on letting her know I want to go east.  Well the traffic clears and I push the gas and start moving over to the far lane where I need to be to turn into Puckett Plaza at the Danver's light, and about the same time she guns it and turns the same way I was going.  She of course had to slam on her breaks and I get honked at.  She had her blinker on to turn right and she turns left.  I had already pulled out going the direction I specified by my blinker.

Am I supposed to be a mind reader?  I was doing what I was supposed to.

Third Incident:

I'm am going down Bell on Saturday and I'm in the lane next to one of those big honking trucks with the side mirrors that stick out about 6 feet.  You know those pick ups that sit at least 4 feet off the ground, they are ginormous.  I am in my lane minding my own business when the truck starts swerving into my lane.  Which in return I have to swerve into the other lane (again luckily no one was there).  I knew my tiny sedan would not survive being sideswiped by this giant truck.  When I got a chance to finally get around and away from the truck, I saw the driver with their cell phone to their ear talking away.

This didn't include the times people pulled out from side streets thinking they could beat me onto the road before I got up to them.  I don't know how many countless times I have had to slam on my breaks to accommodate these folks.  While I'm on the road following the speed limits and laws.  This is really bad on 45th between Western and Bell especially around United.

After that, I decided that I was not going anywhere on Sunday.  I was going to stay safe and sound in my house away from my car and the drivers on the roads.

Is the amount of horrible drivers caused by cell phone use?  I know two of my near mishaps were from the fact they they were using their phones.  Is it because people aren't taught how to drive properly anymore?  Is it because we are distracted?  Is it because we are all in too much of a hurry? It could be all of it, but I do know it has gotten worse in Amarillo and it continues to get worse.

What near wreck have you had lately?

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