The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Carbondale has too many crazy drivers

Is it going to stop? Is that red Honda Del Sol, which I wouldn't mind owning myself, actually going to stop and let me cross the street? I do a sort of hokey-pokey, sticking my foot in and out of the cross walk testing the driver. Did he give me the go ahead wave or the finger? I can't tell in this sun.

Every day it seems I face crazy drivers like this - and not just on campus. Why don't the lanes line up at two intersections near the train tracks on 13 going? Why am I always stuck next to the one driver in Carbondale who doesn't know of this phenomenon? This fool, confused by the shift in the lanes, makes the wrong split-second decision and starts coming into my lane pushing me into the turn lane. If it weren't for my defensive tactics, someone in a silver mini-van would be buying me a new car. Now that I think about it I should drive down that street more often.

Driving is a privilege, not a right. Some of us should not drive. If you think pedestrians are targets with red and black bulls-eye circles instead of people with aspirations, goals, families, and friends, maybe you shouldn't be driving. If you believe that driving around in a car with three tires ready to blow, a muffler about to fall off, and that is leaking gasoline is endangering no one but yourself, think again.

The choices you make on the roadway affect everyone around you. Your laziness not to hit your turn signal before changing lanes could affect the car in front of you who is weighing the options of switching lanes himself or the soccer mom behind you who is splitting her attention between the road and the crying baby in the back. She could probably use the second of warning your turn signal may provide.

Remember you never know the mental state of the drivers around you. Are they clear of head and well rested? Did they stay up late cramming for a history test after weeks of procrastination? Did they just roll a blunt at the last stop light and are laughing at a joke they heard earlier but didn't understand until now? Or did they just have a horrible argument with their husband they suspect cheating with his secretary and now as they drive down the street every pedestrian looks like that blonde home wrecker and it takes every inch of their being not to jump the curb and run that little tramp over? Who knows what people think?

Parents don't just rely on school to teach your children how to drive. My high school driver's ed teacher would eat, belch, then sleep through my driving session. Before you allow your children to get their license make them drive to your standards. If your kid gets in the car and says, "I stick the key in here, right?" they may not be ready for a lap around the block let alone a trip to the DMV.

Children make your parents put down the keys when it's time. We make jokes that old people don't drive over 45 mph so the worst they can do is to flatten the mailbox backing out of the driveway. I hate to bring up old news, but in July of 2003 a California man near ninety years old named George Russell Weller killed ten people when his car plowed through a farmers market. More than 50 people were injured during this accident. That's two and a half times as many people in my English class.

Just be careful when cruising the streets of Carbondale, or Chicago or whereever you drive. And if you approach a cross walk on campus and see me doing a hokey-pokey type dance off to the side, a go ahead wave would be greatly appreciated.

Shanita is a junior in journalism. If I May appears every Thursday. These views do not necessarily reflect those of the DAILY EGYPTIAN.

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