Drive, Missouri

Melissa Jensen
3876 days ago.

As some who are close to me know, my husband spent this summer working in Tulsa, OK.  I returned from a 3 week trip to Japan on April 24th and he packed up and headed to Tulsa on May 5th. This is a problem because I like my husband very much. Yes, yes I love him with all my heart too, but I truly enjoy his company, and the house (even with 3 boys) feels big and empty without him there.  Now, what you ask, does that have to do with driving? Well, let me tell you.

road rage baby

In the past three months I have made 7 trips down Hwy 44 to Tulsa, and one this past weekend to meet him halfway in Branson. I don’t take time off work so this means there have been a lot of solitary 6+ hour drives late at night on Fridays and a lot of evening drives on Sundays. I have logged approximately 6,200 miles on Hwy 44 in the past 3 months. This is a beautiful drive. If you have never taken it, I highly suggest a road trip to one of the many destinations along this road. Unfortunately, from these drives I have developed highway road rage. I have become accustomed to yelling loudly and shaking my fist, and always over the same things.

Here are the Top 5 driving habits that cause my road rage:

  1. I am not a trucker; do not flash your brights at me to let me know that it is clear to get over.  At 1am, 5 hours into a 6 hour drive, you are going to do nothing but scare me. I drive a car, not a tractor trailer. If my depth perception is so bad that I can’t tell it is clear to get my vehicle over, I will see an optometrist.
  2. On the subject of brights – they’re just not a good idea on the interstate. You are going to meet an oncoming car; it is just a given. The roads across Missouri just aren’t that desolate, even at 2am. The people in the oncoming lane will be blinded and you will eventually cause an accident.
  3. When someone gets into the left hand lane to let you comfortably merge onto the highway, DO NOT PROCEED TO PACE THEM FOR MILES! Happens all the time. I do my duty, get over, they merge comfortably onto the highway, and then we ride side by side for several miles. I should not have to speed up or disengage my cruise control in order to get back over. Either speed up or slow down, let me over, then we can all go about our days. This one is far worse on Sundays than Friday nights. Maybe because I end up in the midst of everyone going home from Branson and spending the weekend on Table Rock Lake.
  4. If you insist on driving at or over 100 mph, get on with your bad self. Have fun; I will most likely see you in a few hours parked in front of a cop on the side of the road. I don’t take issue as long as you keep your car under control. However, you must be understanding that there will be times when we normal people going a mere 80 mph will be in the midst of passing a long line of cars who are diligently doing the speed limit. There may also be a car in front of us doing a reasonable 80 mph, and riding my bumper is simply not going to get the process going any faster. I promise that as soon as I have the opportunity, I will get into the right hand lane and you can proceed on your death drive, but until then chill out. I promise I am not doing this to make you mad. I didn’t cut you off; I was stuck in this position when you flew up behind me.
  5. road rage dog My final word on driving across Missouri or anyplace really – if you cannot maintain a constant speed, then go to the nearest DMV immediately, wait patiently for your turn, then surrender your license. This is such a basic skill. Leapfrog is a playground game for children, not a highway game. I would also like to mention to my cruise control adverse friends. I have my cruise set, so if I am passing you for the 5th time in 25 miles and you give me a dirty look, you are going to get a full on shaking fist. That is me, suppressing the urge to run you off the road (you are lucky I love my car).

What driving habits cause your shaking fist to come out?

 

Brought to you by Mills Properties

Melissa Jensen

Melissa is a native of the Greater St. Louis region. She is addicted to anything Google, and cannot understand why motion activated paper towel dispensers never see her hands.

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