Pet peeves persevere

In spite of the irritation they cause, there seems to be a continuous proliferation of pet peeves when it comes to irksome driving habits.  Every driver seems to have certain behavior that annoys them, but we probably all do things, while driving or not, that get under the skin of others.

Reader B.W. has a couple of peeves that are “pets” to him, naming one, “…people who put a basketball net in the public street and then give you a dirty look when you have to drive through their important game.”

B.W. is speaking of a commercially available pole, hoop and net held in place with a heavy weight allowing “portability”.  I think they are intended for use in driveways, but commonly make their way to the street, where sometimes foul lines are even painted.

He added, “…worst just before Hoopfest in Spokane.”  Well, I must admit that games blocking the street are ill-advised, and I have been uncomfortable when encountering such activity.  My overall reaction is that those street locations may be unnecessary, but it’s hard to rebel against kids seeking outdoor fun and exercise.

Along similar lines, I am generally against makeshift signs in neighborhoods exclaiming, “Children at Play.”  Such unauthorized signs are illegal and, I believe, have a minimal effect on child safety.  I think a better approach is teaching kids about the dangers of vehicles in the street and keeping a watchful eye on them when near it.  Most drivers are alert to pedestrians in residential neighborhoods even without distracting signage.  If the street is particularly busy, the best idea is to not play in it — posting the signs might even encourage playing there.

B.W. is also bothered by what he feels is another too-common driver behavior, specifically, “A pet peeve is neighbors who park in front of your house when they have space in front of their own house.  Understandable if they have a big party but I think they do it so they can see their parked car from windows or whatever.  Running sprinklers discourages this a little.”

I can see how that circumstance might be irritating.  It’s akin to the old clichéd, “You kids get off my lawn” idiom — an American phrase representing the supposed reaction of a stereotypical middle-class homeowner confronting boisterous children entering or crossing his property.  B.W. may exact some satisfaction by running sprinklers, but I’ve found that most vehicle owners care little about the resulting hard-to-remove water spots on a vehicle’s finish.

The sources of minor aggravation are seemingly endless.  Just yesterday, I marveled over a driver who caused me to brake and lower my speed substantially when he pulled out in front of my car while I was travelling down the road exactly at the speed limit.  Of course, the holdup didn’t last long, because the offender made a right hand turn within a block at the very next side street!  I say, “Of course,” because that driving move is so common.  Why the urgency to perform that maneuver before I pass by?

Though there are numerous big and little occurrences capable of raising our ire while driving, it does no good to get mad.  I’ve often said that we cannot control the actions of others, but can control our reaction to those actions.  Let’s try to make our reactions accommodating and forgiving — try using a Zen-like approach.

Readers may contact Bill Love via e-mail at precisiondriving@spokesman.com.