Donkey Drivers

The news story of the Erie, PA gunslinger turning donkey over a merging incident made me realize that the vast majority of drivers out there simply do not know how to properly merge into the flow of traffic.

There are a couple of merges that we encounter on a daily basis.

Merging scenario #1:
You are on an on ramp and joining some faster moving traffic to your left.  This situation happens all the time and it just blows me away how many drivers come flying into the flow of traffic without looking, slowing down or signaling.  The merging driver has evolved some sort of ignorance that leads him to believe and assume that the drivers in the right lane are automatically going to slow down and yield to the driver merging.  This is a horrible, dangerous and potentially deadly assumption for them to make.  The situation is compounded further by drivers  talking on their cell phones and merging into the flow of traffic as described above because their left arm will block their ability to even see the mirror or over their shoulder at the oncoming traffic.

HOW TO PROPERLY MERGE FROM AN ON-RAMP INTO FLOWING HIGHWAY TRAFFIC:
As your lane is beginning to end, you must slow down (to position yourself for the merge), turn on your left turn signal on (so oncoming traffic is aware of your intent and notices your interest to enter the flow of traffic), and most importantly, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO STOP until a safe moment arrives to make a safe merge.

Merging Scenario #2:
You are on a 3 lane road merging into 2 lanes or you are on a 2 lane road merging into 1 lane.

HOW TO PROPERLY MERGE INTO A SMALLER NUMBER OF TRAFFIC LANES:
Simply put, stay in your lane or better yet get into the shortest one, follow it all the way down until it ends, and then turn on your signal to display your merging intentions, take turns merging with the other lane, 1 by 1, and then when you have inserted yourself into the new lane, give a quick wave to say “thank you” for being allowed into the lane.  Do not be one of these drivers that merges right away and avoids merging at the very end.  This slows things down big time and angers everyone else behind you.

Click on the link below for the latest Donkey Drivers in the News:

Dispute Over Merging Etiquette Results in Another Donkey Flashing a Gun (8/19/10)
State: PA
Weapons:  Gun
Age of Combatants:  Suspect:  49, Victim: Unknow
Sex:  Males

Obama Fundraising Visit Incites Road Rage (8/17/10)
President Obama’s decision to host a fundraising dinner in L.A, on  Monday evening in midst of peak rush hour pissed off a lot of drivers stuck in the afternoon gridlock.

NJ State Laws Create Road Road Rage (8/15/10)
NJ to consider aggressive enforcement of keep right, pass left laws.  With approximately 30,000 tickets written for this offense last year and another 15,000 for driving to slow in the left lane….it sounds to me like NJ is trying to raise money in these tough economic times.  It’s pretty simple…pass other drivers using whatever lane is available for passing.  The inside lane will still typically be the fastest.  The law is an anachronism and should be abolished.  Of course, that is the difficulty with our legal system, once we have a law….it’s almost impossible to have it removed.

Tragic Shooting in Phoenix – SUSPECT AT LARGE (8/13/10)
State: AZ
Weapons:  Gun
Age of Combatants:  Suspect:  Mid 20s, Victim: 27
Sex:  Males

It Takes Two to Tango Says the Police Sergeant (8/10/10)
State:  CA
Weapons :  Brass Knuckles, Knife
Age of Combatants: 23, 20, 14
Sex:  2 Males, 1 Unknown

Catfigtht in Clarksville (8/10/10)
State: KY
Weapons: Gun (allegedly)
Age of Combatants: 19, Unknown
Sex: Both females

Motorcyclist Attacks Woman (8/10/10)
State: OH
Weapons: Bare Knuckles, Car Door
Age of Combatants: 47 Man, 38 Woman
Sex: Both females

Woman Smears Diaper on Other Drivers Rear Window (8/10/10)

Man Pulls Out a Nail Gun in Road Rage near DC (7/22/10)

This site will be a worldwide depository for reporting all the bad drivers out there.  We call them….DONKEY DRIVERS.

If you see someone talk on their cell phone or send a text message while driving we want to hear about it.

How about run a red light, cut you off, merge without signaling, weave in and out of traffic like a race car driver, or worst of all……take up 2 spaces in a crowded parking lot.  Send us their info and we will post it for the world to see. The more posts they get, the more the world will see what a true donkey this driver is.

Check back soon…..as I will be back with the first installments of license plates, infractions and even some pictures.