Here in the New York Virginia (Northern Virginia) area,
I have noticed that a person at the head of a line of cars
can sit at a red light for 5 or more seconds, after it has
changed to green. During this time, nobody will give so much
as a toot of the horn, and politely ask that he/she move along.

While this is very noble, gentlemanly behavior, I find it to
be very frustrating and asinine. Here in traffic hell, you can
spend an easy 10 minutes getting thru an intersection. So, I
began to blow the horn when people went to sleep at red lights
(it happens often here).

I was very surprised to find people looking at me as if I’d
spat on their windshield. Sometimes, people become aggressive
with me, just for asking that they not waste my time. I realize
that the method of communication is somewhat crude and subject
to interpretation, but when I hear a horn, the first thing I do
is check the traffic signal, to see if it has changed since my
last glance.

For those of you who might condemn me as overly agressive, I
submit that if people had more regard for those around them,
there would be no need for overtly agressive behavior. Even
though I do drive relatively fast, I always get out of the way
of faster drivers, and I pay attention at stoplights. I feel
that if you need to make a phone call, write something down,
smack the kid in the mouth, or dig the roadmap from under the
passenger seat, you really should pull off the road.

I really wish the cops’ hands weren’t bound so tight (legally
speaking) when it comes to giving tickets for inconsiderate or
dangerous behavior. Something really needs to happen that will
convince drivers of their responsibility when on the road, and
perhaps hitting them in the pocketbook is the solution.

Where I grew up, people didn’t act like such buttheads. They
paid attention, and they stayed right, except to pass. I can
remember coming up to a stoplight, and getting out of the lane
where I would have been right up front, so that others behind
could blow through the intersection, timing permitting. That’s
just the way people drive down there, and I really hate having
to come back up here after a visit.

So, here’s the question(s):

1) Is this just a DC-ism, or does this seem to be character-
   istic of all large population centers?

2) What tactics do you use, or do you just "sink into the mush"?

3) Does the NMA really have any clout, and what is its stand
   on the way traffic laws are enforced in this country?

4) Is there any really big organization that has the influence
   to make a change in this arena?

5) For those of you who have written letters to politicians, do
   you feel that you are actually heard?

Sorry to be so long-winded… I’m just getting tired of fighting
my way to and from work every day.

– Mike

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Disclaimer: SMI believes that all laws exist for the common good.