How I drive

Recently on weekends I've been doing a lot more driving with no destination in mind--driving for driving's sake. I also moved recently, and since then my commute to work includes major highways and Washington D.C. traffic in all its miserableness. So I thought it would be appropriate to share a few things about how I react to certain situations on the road.

1. I get much less annoyed with someone who cuts me off when they use their turn signal than with someone who cuts me off without using their signal. Maybe I'm just weird.

2. I make it a habit to try to be in a position to see further ahead, i.e. further ahead than the vehicle immediately in front of me, the further the better. This lets me anticipate what's happening in front, and I'm much more comfortable and stress-free.

3. Unfortunately, point 2 directly leads to a habit of mine that is not so positive. I am much less likely to allow someone in front of me (or if I do, I still become very frustrated) if they're driving a large vehicle that I won't be able to see in front of--either around because they're just too big, or through their rear window because it's tinted too dark, or it's been completely covered (white van alert!).

4. I also become frustrated (admittedly to a much lesser extent than in point 3) with people with no passengers who still drive in HOV lanes. Okay, it doesn't really bother me that much, except for the idle wish that plentiful traffic police would magically appear and ticket everyone doing it.