11/21/98...

I've noticed a complete loss of driving ability in an unbelievable number of drivers, especially in the past few months... and it's not the same people or even in the same area, but all throughout western Pennsylvania... everybody seems to be in a hurry and impatience is definitely at a high... there's people speeding and risking a severe accident just to get ahead of 2 cars to wait in a mile-long line of vehicles... it just doesn't make sense to me... there's cars coming from every which direction, zooming from behind, making driving anywhere a virtual nightmare... the one I've noticed the most lately, and it's a total turn-around from before, is what people now do when they come to a stop sign... they used to just sit there and motion the other driver to go while the other did the same thing right back to them... nobody seemed to want to go... now, possibly due to frustration concerning the prior situation, people just stop and go... no regard is given to whose turn it is or anything... I will give them credit for at least stopping, which was another problem I noticed years ago... in effect, driving has become so tumultuous and unpredictable that it's become quite the task to drive absolutely anywhere... I used to be able to relax and driving was such a peaceful experience... now all concentration has to be on the road at all times... I haven't been so anxious driving since I had my learner's permit... this makes a 4 hour trip mentally exhausting to go through... listening to music helps, but a lot of it is blocked out due to the need of total concentration on the road just to survive... I think most of it can be attributed to a total lack of patience, something I believe to be one of the biggest problems in the world today... it's easy to understand why in this ever more confusing world, but noone seems to have any empathy towards anybody else... so it's become an everybody for themselves, all-out cannonball run to whatever destination, near or far, anybody's headed... quite the nightmare for the average speed limit + 5 driver... I am truly surprised not to be seeing more fender-bender casualties pulled over by the side of the road... I guess the present driving situation has made people more cautious and in effect better drivers, at least in avoiding accidents... I definitely don't look forward to driving as much as I used to... and I'm sure it's only going to get worse...