[thurston]

What's with drivers in Nebraska? I've been in Omaha for a few years now and I grew up in Kansas, so I'm not new to the Midwest and I'm not new to driving in adverse conditions. It seems like the drivers up here are especially uninformed about basics and general courtesies.

I'm not sure if it's a problem with driver's ed courses being poorly taught or if it's people blatantly ignoring anything they learn in it. Or if they are just idiots. Almost every single day I encounter people who shouldn't be on the road.

Here's some things I see or have experienced:

• People chillin' in the left lane on any hwy when the right lane is wide open...and then refusing to move when people are behind them and wanting to pass.
• Not allowing sufficient spacing between vehicles when in dangerous snowy/icy conditions.
• Driving 20mph under the speed limit when it's 70º and light rain and not dangerous conditions.
• Trying to sideswipe somebody when merging and not being at speed when merging.
• A mom with her 5yo kid in a Chevy Malibu trying to race me on 80-E.
• A dude with a completely flat tire in huge diesel truck (literally riding on the rim) and not stopping. I say "not stopping" because when I signaled to him, he gave me this "Yeah, I know it's flat" face. Then, he finally pulls over.
• People clogging traffic in a parking lot b/c they want to wait 10 minutes for a person to leave so that they don't have to walk an extra 25ft. (They're always fat too!)

Things I want to say to people up here:

• The left lane is for "passing." Be in the right lane when it's open.
• Rain does not turn into ice when it's 70º.
• The merger is primarily responsible for merging. It's their job to adjust speed accordingly and zipper-in. And get up to speed - stop being a bitch.
• When you are on cruise-control and passing someone and there are 10 cars behind you, step on the gas to speed up a little to get around the car quicker so that everybody else doesn't have to brake and wait for you. It's courteous.
• When you are driving a RWD in snow, momentum is key. Learn that.
• Pay attention to the traffic light and line of cars at the next intersection so that you're not stuck in the middle of the intersection on a red light and blocking it from the adjacent traffic.
• If you're fat, park further away from the store. You need the walking. Also, stop being fat.

Sharing an affinity for BMW and motorsport, I'm assuming that my rant won't be applicable to a lot of the drivers on this forum because of a much higher knowledge base/skill level. I just want to know if anybody else experiences the same things. I'm not claiming to be an amazing driver and you may think I'm a dick for writing this, but I feel like my driving skills are far superior to a lot of others on the road when it shouldn't be. The driving up here is so bad that I felt compelled to say something. So what's the deal?

-Travis