So today, I'm buzzin along I4 at a good clip headin over to St. Pete to meet someone for a date when a jerk , for no discernable reason, changes lanes from the right hand lane to the middle lane, directly into the space I was occupying. There wasn't a single vehicle in sight in the lane in front of her, no exit lane coming up, nothing. She just suddenly, without a blinker, swerves into the middle lane and starts driving there instead of the right hand lane where she had been. I am a pretty good defensive driver and am always watching out for people like this because they seem to be far too common for my taste. I managed to avoid her but nearly flipped myself in the process.
Fortunately the road immediately behind me was just as bare as the road ahead of her and after I wobbled all the way across from the left lane to the right lane regaining control from the near roll my swerve had put me into, I was able to simply unclench my buttocks and drive normally.
As I got back up to cruising speed, a couple of things occurred to me. First, was how close I had come to actually going for a roll. Very. I didn't feel the wheels leave the pavement, but I certainly felt them set back down. That was what sent me back across the highway. Second, that the jerk never even touched her brakes. If her action had caused a 20 car pileup, I think she'd have just kept on going with never a glance back.
So I guess I should answer the burning question that everyone (ok, maybe one of you) has at this point:
What did I do about it?
The answer is nothing. I didn't do anything about it. I didn't call the cops, I didn't get her license plate and call in an airstrike, I didn't flash my lights, blow my horn, tailgate, or give her the finger. I didn't even glare at the back of her vehicle.
I let her have that lane and used another one to pass her and got on with my plans for the day. The Picassos were ok, but the room they were displayed in was horrid for the purpose. I think I'll see her again.
My question for the world is: Why can't people learn to drive?
It's not hard. You use the right hand lane for default traffic. If you are in the right hand lane and you come up behind someone, use the lane to your left to pass them. If you are driving in a lane other than the right hand lane and someone comes up behind you, get over to the right until they have passed. If you are in a lane and you are coming up behind people very often, you are drivign too fast for that lane. If you are in a lane and people are driving around you on both sides, you are driving too slow for that lane. If you need to change lanes, use a blinker and look before you change; use of your blinker does not equate to absence of another vehicle in the space you wish to occupy. If you drive in a country where the steering wheels are on the wrong side of the car, disregard this message. I've heard about you people and there's not much I can offer to ease THAT lunacy.