I'm the person you cursed on the way to the school kiss and ride...let me explain

[Anonymous]

I don't want to ruin your day and I know what it's like to be running late for work. I know you wanted me to drive beyond the speed limit even once we turned into residential area. I know you were horrified to find we were going to the same place. I saw you gesturing your hands and tailgaiting me and I heard you honking. I really mean no harm.

Safety comes first. My uncle was a volunteer crossing guard for his child's school many years ago and he was run over and killed by a parent in a hurry to drop off her child and get to work. One of my classmates growing up was knocked off his bike in his quiet neighborhood by a neighbor in a hurry and luckily the injuries were minor because the driver was going slow enough that he could stop abruptly.

It is not fair to go speeding through a residential area. To be honest even before we hit the residential part I refused to go above the speed limit because my family has a lot expenses right now and we cannot afford a ticket. I see police all over the place. Not to mention the fact I have seen deer crossing the road we were on and I prefer not to hit one.

I wish you well and I hope you don't end up behind me again.

[Anonymous]

I saw some school kids get hit by a car this morning (not hurt, thankfully), so I'm fully with you OP.

[Anonymous]

i know what you mean, op. sometimes i find myself too hurried in a neighborhood because i'm running late to work... and i get angry too. but i understand. and this is a good reminder.

[Anonymous]

I had to hit the breaks hard this morning and then pull over to the curb to firmly explain to my 7 year old that him nagging me and crying and whining in the back seat was not safe and that I was not going to drive him to school like that. A few people walking by looked at me very shocked, but I had to do it. It wasn't a safe situation and I didn't want to rear end someone because I was getting so distracted. It worked, he calmed down.

You did the right thing, OP, kids' safety comes first and speeding is never a good option when kids are involved. Sometimes we have to choose safety over being liked.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, OP.

Signed, a bicyclist.

[Anonymous]

No, you aren't the person I cursed this morning on the way to school. She was driving one of those mini buses (International Limousines, maybe? The company that is hired by the hospitals and universities to provide shuttle service), and drifting in to my lane. I honked, she adjusted a little, and when I next pulled up beside her, she was gesticulating angrily at me and saying some obviously crude things.

I would never curse at someone who was going the speed limit.

[Anonymous]

Thank you OP!!!!

Their commute is NOT my (or your) problem.

[Anonymous]

Was this in Maryland?

[Anonymous]

Thank you, OP.

Signed, a parent who lives down the street from an elementary school

This is the first year my child has been old enough to walk to the nearby school. It's totally shocking to see what drivers think they can get away with immediately in front of a school with 8yos walking in and out. People should be ashamed of themselves endangering kids on their way to or from school. And so should Montgomery County which makes ZERO effort to enforce the speed limits in school zones.

[Anonymous]

I hear you OP.

And I am one of those people who have no problem with people speeding on highways. I hate the ones who swerve in and out of traffice, but whatever - if you want to go 85 on a 65 mph highway, fine.

But I draw the line on residential roads. People - kids live there. You being 2 minutes later to work isn't worth it to speed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was this in Maryland?

It's always a Maryland driver when this stuff happens.

[Anonymous]

No problem; I live on a street where people try to speed and I appreciate people doing the limit.

[Anonymous]

I certainly wouldn't want anyone to drive unsafely, especially around a school. But refusing to exceed the speed limit can be pretty ridiculous in many neighborhoods.

I challenge everyone reading this to drive right at the speed limit for the rest of the week. Not 5 miles over, not even 1 mile over. Just refuse to exceed the speed limit at all until sundown on Sunday. I think you'll be surprised at how slow you're driving, and how many other drivers you're annoying.

OP, if you considered the speed unsafe, maybe the safest solution would have been for you to pull over and let the other driver pass?

[Anonymous]

PP, I think OP's point is that if it's an unsafe speed, it's an unsafe speed.

We live on a 25mph street that regularly has people going 35mph and upwards. Going 26 or 27 isn't a big deal, unless you're staring at your speedometer it's impossible to go exactly the speed limit every second. When you hit 30, you're 20% above the limit. On a highway, that's the same as going nearly 70mph in a 55 zone.

OP has it right. SLOW DOWN in the neighborhoods. Kids, adults, dogs, cyclists. they're everywhere in a residential area, unless you are behind the wheel of a fire truck with it's siren going, you are not that important.

[Anonymous]

The person I cursed yesterday on the way to school was because they slowed to 20 in a 30 zone. Eventually they pulled over (I ended up on their tail only because they kept going slower and slower, I was never going above 30) and sure enough the driver was on the phone. 9 times out of 10 erratic drivers are on the phone.