Atlanta Drivers are the Worst!

Okay you Drivers out there,

I’ve lived in Atlanta for quite a while now, and I’ve held my breath and have bitten my tongue for long enough. And all this is over the fact that people who drive in Atlanta, generally speaking, have a difficult time driving safely. I see nearly every other driver fail to use their turn signals when turning, I consistently see drivers turning left at a stop light from the far right lane of three-lane traffic (and other drivers letting them) and in the process causing a back up of traffic nearly a quarter mile long. (Read – Please honk your horn to show your disagreement – enough with gentility, we’re talking lives and safety here folks). I occasionally see police patrol vehicles doing all of the above without an emergency at hand, or any indication of flashing emergency lights. Talk about setting the example.

I see buses of all kinds weaving in and out of traffic narrowly crashing into the cars next to them, causing those cars to have to swerve over into oncoming traffic, with brakes screeching. I see drivers constantly not being aware of bicyclists near them. I read a report in the AJC that there is an increase in bicycle related accidents because drivers are not paying attention to their surroundings. There was one report in the newspaper of a bicyclist who clearly had the right of way (with witnesses to testify). A vehicle had hit the bicyclist, throwing him off his bike and over the roof of the vehicle that hit him. He fell to the ground, shattering both of his wrists, and the driver of the vehicle stopped briefly to lip through his window, “Are you okay?”, then drove off.

I see people driving everywhere (and Atlanta doesn’t corner the market on this) constantly talking on their mobile phones/Blackberries/PDA’s, etc., and yes, I even saw a man tapping away on his laptop PC in traffic. Long gone are the days when the biggest threat were those drivers who were checking themselves out in their rearview mirror.

With everything I “See”, it’s a wonder that I don’t SEE more dead people.

Now, I ranted to a colleague about this at one point, and she commented that as a native Atlantan she hears this sort of comment all the time: “That Atlanta drivers can’t drive”. She said that most people forget that most of the drivers in Atlanta are not from Atlanta, and are transplants from other areas of the country. Therefore, you can’t make a statement that Atlanta drivers do not know how to drive safely. Touché – I had never thought about it that way before. But yet the fact remains, wherever these drivers are from, they loose all common sense (albeit not so common) when they get behind the wheel of a 2-ton missile. And now, especially with school back in session, we need to pay much more attention to the children out there crossing our intersections and driveways.

In this election season we are constantly hearing about “change”. Well, Atlanta drivers wake up! Whether you are native to Atlanta or a transplant, it’s time to change your attitude about driving, the respect for the vehicle you are driving, and most of all the safety and respect of other drivers and pedestrians whose lives you hold in your hands, as well as your own, when you get behind the wheel.

With all that being said, I am not saying I’m the perfect driver, but I am cognizant of my surroundings when I practice my PRIVILEDGE (not my Right) to drive a motor vehicle.

Signed,
Desperately Seeking Safety