Worst Drivers On The Road

June is my birth month and while birthdays aren't any big deal with me, I was struck this year by a profound realization; it was fifty years ago this month that I was issued my first driver's license. A half-century of motoring.

Now I'm one of those American boys who loves cars. Couldn't wait for each new model year to roll around. Starstruck by shinny chrome. I'm still intrigued by new models although, now that they're designed in wind tunnels, they all pretty much look the same... like an egg. I guess an egg is the shape of least resistance.

Probably like most of you, most of my driving over the past fifty years has consisted of commuting to and from work. There are the memories of some pretty great motoring moments, like the time I raced a larger, more powerful Peugeot toe-to-toe in my little Fiat 500 Abarth over the hills-and-dales of eastern France. They never could pass me. I would pull away from them on the dips and curves only to get caught on the straights. This went on for over 100 miles. Great fun.

No, I'm sad to say that in retrospect, the majority of my seat time has been spent in commuter traffic. Blah!

However, it is those hundreds, if not thousands, of hours spent in the give and take of commuter traffic that qualifies me to make the following judgments: Who are the most rude, and the most courteous, drivers on the road?

1. The most rude drivers on the road... Black Women, of all ages. The ones least likely to let you in line, least likely to leave room so that someone can pull out of a service station and cross the road, most likely to blow their horns, most likely to speed up so you can't get in, most likely to be jabbering on a cell phone. In this "Age of Entitlement" they just flat don't give a damn about road manners or the overall good of the commuting community. They might be the nicest most giving people off the road, but on the road, give them plenty of room because you never know what to expect, but you can bet that it will have nothing to do with courtesy or give and take.

2. Next most rude drivers on the road... Young People of both sexes. Young people are always in a hurry. Most likely to cut you off, drive way too fast and race you to a parking space. I don't let them bother me too much though, because when I was young, I was the same way. Everything was a race and driving fast was fun.

3. Next most rude drivers on the road... White Women, of all ages. Oblivious. Wait until the last second to switch lanes to make a turn, not only cutting you off but making you slam on your brakes as well. All over the road while primping in the mirror or doing their nails or... texting on the frigging cell phone. I don't think they mean to be rude, they're just... oblivious.

4. Second most courteous drivers on the road... Latinos. They seem to just go with the flow. True, they've got their own flow, but everyone's welcome to join in. Don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but here in Baja Georgia most Latinos are the working poor. I guess they've got to many other problems to let traffic be one of them.

5. The most courteous drivers on the road... Good Ole Boys of all stripes. Need someone to let you in line, the redneck in the pickup will let you in most every time. See a broken down car on the side of the road, it'll be a good ole boy who stops to help. Ever see a good ole boy talking on the phone while driving? Not very often. White, black or brown, whatever other faults they may have, being rude in traffic ain't one of them.