Shaking My Head

When I'm tooling through the average big city loaded and oversized, I like to really telegraph my intentions when it comes to lane changes. I can usually only see really well on the driver's side, and I can at least see well enough to keep from running over someone to my right. So, I'll throw on the turn signal, and ponderously ease over into the other lane. No sudden moves, and it takes a fair amount of time. I don't slice and dice through traffic.

So, whilst motoring through a six lane portion of I470 in KCMO today, I was firmly parked in the middle lane. Trucks over a certain GVW are prohibited from using the far left lane, so that leaves the two right lanes for us obvious scuzzbuckets. We're so nasty, doncha know. I overtook a slower truck, who, naturally, showed no interest in moving to the right to let me by. So, I sacrificed the standard of only passing on the left and turned on the ol' signals, eased ever so slowly over to the right, and had cancelled my signals (they don't self cancel in a big truck), settling into the lane.

Suddenly I had a car "whoosh" by me on the shoulder, running forty to fifty mph faster than I. This obvious brain surgeon had been running way too fast - but not too fast to shut down and match speeds. Since I was the impediment in his way, it was all my fault that he had to take the shoulder, even though I doubt I'd have seen him coming in a freaking car. He kicked up a bunch of gravel on my hood and windshield, and he let me know I was number one through his sunroof, winding his car up to well over a hundred again. He disappeared from view. Cops? It is to laugh. The "trucker toll collectors" were all busy somewhere else, making sure our nation's highways are safe from drug crazed mouth breathing eighteen wheeler drivers.

Yep, all my fault. And people wonder why truckers have such a sour attitude towards the average driving ability of the average nut behind the wheel of a "four wheeler."