Driving Me Crazy

One of the biggest things my spouse and I noticed while driving across the country to our new home in Utah is how people drive.  As we moved further west, we noticed that people in different areas drive differently.  I really don’t know how to describe it so I won’t.

Now, I have to admit when I first moved to Pennsylvania I was not used to the way people drove.  If you were driving 80 mph, you were slow.  The rule to keep a car lengths between you and the car in front of you is non-existent.  If you want to move into another lane, you better haul ass when there is even a slight opening or you will miss your turn.  

This is the normal driving habit of people between New York City to Washington D.C.   Drivers in other parts of the country would consider this “aggressive driving.”  In my new environment,  I learned how to drive and now I love it.  It has helped me quite a few times while driving on I-15 around Salt Lake City.

My father, a southern gentleman and driver, hated when I was driving at home (in Alabama), and he was absolutely terrified when I was driving in PA.  On the flip side, it drove me crazy that he accepted the aggressive driving of my spouse (even though he didn’t like it).  I can only guess that the age-old idea that women are worse drivers than men will never die in the south.

In PA, I always got a kick out of the traffic reports because they would add the phrase “gaper delay.”  For example (and very much paraphrased from what the traffic reporter would say), traffic is slow as usual on the Schuyllkill at 4:30 p.m. with a car pulled over at the  Conshohocken exit and extra slow because of the “gaper delay.”  It is so true.  People would slow down just to see what was going on even if it was on the other side of the road (with a concrete barrier between them).  

I believed this to only be a Pennsylvania and Jersey thing but not so.  Utahans make Pennsylvania and Jersey look tame.  The “gapers” might as well stop their car and go over to the parked car to see what is going on.  They might actually need help. 

Two weeks ago while driving up to see my sister in Idaho, we came to a complete stand still on I-15 so we assumed it was an accident.  We were so wrong.  Traffic was creeping along because of all the “gapers!”  A guy had pulled over to the side of the road and he was bent over looking under the hood of his car.  The “gaper” affect multiplied!!!  We were creeping along because of THIS!

If you live in Utah please do not be offended.  I’m just finding it humorous the differences between the two areas of the country.  I really do like it here and I love that there is no humidity.

Till next time.