This Is Some Sad Sh*t, Y’all

I commute long and varied distances because I am cloistered far away from the hub-bub, bub, of the big city and most means of commerce intended to keep me amused and distracted. I spend an inordinate amount of energy decrying the bad habits of fellow motorists, e.g., lights out during rain, changing lanes without signaling, vague and purposeless meandering, chit-chatting on their smartphones or worse, texting or much, much worse, watching a video and, worst of all, speeding.

Now, I must say that although I respect the speed limit as much as possible, I also recognize that there is a bit of leeway in practical terms, governed also by the prevailing conditions – weather, darkness and traffic flow. But there is a limit, not only a legal limit, but a common sense limit, governed by nothing less than the laws of physics.

The typical modern car is very capable of good handling, acceleration and stopping and it’s packed with lots of safety features, like side-curtain airbags, highly engineered crumple zones and breakaway components meant to adsorb and distribute the energy of an impact. I’ve been driving for more than thirty years and I can unequivocally report that taking a cloverleaf in my late-model Honda is not at all the thrill ride of my ’72 Chevelle which, even at 30 mph, felt just short of letting go of the road once and for all. That car had no air bags and weighed almost twice what the Honda weighs. So, when a driver experienced cars of that era, the limits were very clear, and respected, otherwise, death or some lesser variant awaited foolish choices and bad decisions behind the wheel.

Today’s drivers really have no clue. This isn’t some old guy simply decrying those nasty, good-fer-nuthin’ youngsters, you see. It’s a conclusion on which I will base my facts.