Wednesday, March 27, 2013

What the H??

I live in Michigan; I drive in Michigan....enough said??

I take my life in my hands daily.  Every single time I try to make a left hand turn I debate how important it really is...sometimes three rights is much better than one harrowing left.  Driving a mile out of the way to make a left at a rare turning signal is also much more safe than making that one accursed left.

Why in the world would a state with so many colleges, universities, odd plazas, and strange things have no turn arrows, but these weird half dip thingies (shout out to Suze who doesn't even know I write this blog).  Coming out of the high school parking lot twice today I took my life in my hands.  There are two lanes turning out onto a highway with a speed limit of 55.  There is no light there.  I have seen quite a few accidents, several police pulling over new teen drivers...this should never happen.  There needs to be a stop light there.  An elementary school also has traffic leaving that same harrowing entrance/exit.

I'm sure some budgetary maven or left turn Lothario came up with this ill advised, lame idea which seems to result in many accidents. Many more accidents than is necessary.  I haven't needed anxiety medication this much since I left Texas.  In Texas and Florida the semi's would run people off the roads gleefully and into a guardrail, but darn it there were left turn arrows there!  It isn't truly just a Michigan thing, even Chicago does it.  It can be harrowing driving in the north.    

I don't  understand how the general propulsive profusion would ever even lend itself to the abolition of turning arrows but the advent of roundabouts as an alternative in some areas.  I can only assume personal injury lawyers had/have a strong hand in this insanity.  Roundabouts are another frightening thing.  In New Zealand people understood the roundabouts and yield signs, at least our observation and negotiation of them led us to no fear.  Up here we tend to white knuckle it getting in a roundabout, it isn't that we are stupid, it's that the people around us seem to be.

If you come to Michigan I will be the person making only right turns and eschewing roundabouts....aside the ones on the way to my neurosurgeon, those are low traffic and safer, also close to a hospital!

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