Have you ever sat through two red lights because the car in front of you didn’t proceed when the light turned green? Sure, you could have honked at them when the light changed. After all, everyone else does it. And you, as well as many others, are sick and tired of those impatient cranks, honking at you when the light turns green. They don’t even give you enough time to take your foot off the brake and put it on the gas pedal. It’s as if their horn is coordinated with the light. And you know their honking actually means “What are you waiting for, another shade of green, Lady?” I’ve heard that, in New York City, you start getting honked at when the cross traffic light turns yellow. Now that’s impatience at its finest! So there you are, the second car from the front, the light turns green and the person in front of you doesn’t proceed. But you refuse to honk at them. You just know that they are not paying attention. They’re probably texting or reading a message. But they’re bound to look up at any second and see that the light has turned green. Seconds click by like hours, but you still refuse to honk. You’re not going to be a jerk like the other impatient drivers. More time passes, and by now you are hoping that the person behind you will honk to get their attention. By then, the light turns yellow and your heart sinks. Now, the driver in front of you finally looks up, sees the yellow light and they floor it. Finally! So, now you can slowly move up and wait through a second red light. Yes, we have all experienced this scenario. This is likely the reason that people have become conditioned to just honking when the light turns green.
When you drive to work tomorrow, try to count how many traffic lights you cross on your commute. And, of those, how many are actually left turns where you may be waiting even longer? So, with the many different delays, even road construction, the best thing to do is to just not give in. Maintain your patience. You won’t get there any earlier and you may just live longer.If you get honked at, even when you did nothing wrong, chalk it up to someone else just having a bad day and move on.
Whatever you do on your commute, don’t get “honked” off.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Impatient Drivers – Comedy Defensive Driving