Rules of the road refresher from a safe, cautious driver

Traveling down College Avenue, I watch as a driver turns left onto a side street -- from the right-hand lane -- cutting off a whole line of vehicles in the process.

A little further down the road, the drivers in front of me creep forward at an intersection -- practically coasting to the middle of the intersection -- waiting for the light to turn green.

These situations, and many more, happen weekly, almost daily, to safe and courteous drivers like myself.

Why are drivers in this country such jerks? What is wrong with following the rules of the road?

Are we such a self-centered society, that we can't be courteous to other drivers and pedestrians? Should everyone be required to take a driving exam each year, in order to brush up on lost driving skills?

These questions come to mind every time I venture out on the road. I feel as though I am the only serious and safe driver on the street and highways.

I feel as though I should give those of you who are bad drivers a few lessons in the basic rules of the road.

LESSON No. 1: STOP signs

Yes, believe it or not, the red octagon with the letters S-T-O-P is an indication for one's car to come to a complete stop.

This does not mean "rolling through" or "coasting through" at a very low rate of speed. It means your car is at a complete standstill. Your speedometer reads zero, and NO movement of your vehicle can be detected.

Basic courtesy. No butting in line.

LESSON No. 2: Creepers

You know who you are. Your faces show it when you drive.

You are impatient. You think that by moving forward at a red light, it will magically change to green. You almost run over the innocent pedestrians trying to cross the road.

I have one thing to tell you. Those lights are on timers, they do not see you moving forward and say, "Well look, there is Joe Driver. He needs to continue driving at this very instant. I had better change to green right now."

Nope, sorry folks, but it looks as though we all will have to live with set timers until the technology is here for those special kinds of traffic lights.

LESSON No. 3: Turn signals and turning

To me, the most annoying people on the road are people who do not use turn signals.

How else are other people going to know you are turning and be able to act accordingly? There is no other way for them to know, aside from reading your mind.

As far as I know, most people can't read minds.

If you turn, use your turn signal. And when you are done, TURN IT OFF.

Another part of this lesson is basic turning rules. I actually witnessed, on more than one occasion, drivers turning left off of College Avenue -- from the right-hand lane. They were, of course, not using their signals either.

What? Are they so stupid as to think they can actually do this?

In all seriousness folks, this is a problem with America's roads today. People who do not know the proper rules of the road are slowly becoming a real threat to everyone. Nearly 80 percent of drivers are too impatient or "angry" at the scene around them, according to a recent TIME Magazine article.

This "road recklessness" has actually topped drunk driving, at least for now, as the No. 1 cause of injuries on the road.

So all you "road warriors" out there watch out.

There is at least one person on the road watching you, and taking down your license plate numbers.