Those Vermont drivers!

So I was chatting with a very nice guy at the League of Vermont Writers meeting recently, and when I told him about how we Riders strive to make driving better around here, he immediately responded that Vermont drivers sure need the help because they are awful! You're not going to believe this, but I was speechless! Here I am feeling as if I'm cheating by hiding out in the land of no traffic jams or people blocking the left lane (mostly because there is no left lane), and thanking my lucky stars every time I hit the road, when I find out that an actual Vermonter thinks that's insane. Go figure! Oh sure, we're a little short on passing zones, and there are occasions when you're going to get stuck behind somebody poking along, especially in fall foliage or ski season, but on the whole, when it comes to irritating driver behavior, Vermont has a severe shortage and that's the way we like it.

Here's an example: Last week I was sitting at a red light (yes, we do have a few), the second car back and we were both turning left. I know this because we were both using our left turn signals. There was no green arrow or turning lane, and normally when the light changed we (and the cars behind us) would have waited until all the folks going straight in the opposite direction went by, but not this time. Because the first driver across the way kindly motioned the guy in front of me to hustle on through ahead of him. And the third one did the same for me. You can be sure he got a very enthusiastic cheery wave in return for his exceptional courtesy :-) So you can see why in my book, Vermont drivers are AOK!

Thanks, neighbors!