WIDE OPEN SPACES

Did I miss something in Driver's Ed class?

I have a question.

I realize almost nobody comes on Drivetribe and talks about their commute, but something has been bugging me. My normal drive to work takes me through the middle of town. Its not a big town, mind you, but for such a small town there is an inordinate number of traffic lights. OK, thirteen. I've done the math, and on average I hit 69% on red. And the waits, as I'm sure you can sympathize, seem like forever.

Those waits at the lights do give me the free time to look around and notice things. One thing in particular I've noticed is that a fair number of drivers, when they pull up behind other cars at traffic lights, leave huge gaps between themselves and the car in front. Not just a couple of feet, but as much as one or two car lengths.

I see this often enough that its made me a bit worried. Am I supposed to be doing the same thing? I only leave two or maybe three feet.

While I would agree that queueing up within an inch or two of the bumper of the next person is a bad idea, big gaps between cars at the light can't be right, either. Leaving a huge gap feels...inconsiderate. It ties up valuable real estate someone further back might need to exit a parking space or even get through an intersection. That real estate is just sitting there, unused and pathetic.

So, why do people do this? Is there a valid reason? Did I miss something in that Driver's Ed class that I took all those years ago? Please, let me know in the comments below.

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11 June 2018 .......... By: Todd Nielson .......... Photo by: Todd Nielson

#lefthanddrive #smalltribesrule #driving