Monday, April 30, 2012

BIG WHEELS KEEP ON ROLLING - RIGHT OVER YOU...

We had to make one more trip to settle some estate affairs this weekend.  I dreaded the trip to come home because as soon as we get off of the state highway and join the Interstate (about 2 hours from home) I feel like we are in danger for our lives all the way home.  Our particular state has an incredible amount of semi trucks driving on the Interstate.  Maybe the main reason is because our state has many, many things shipped in from other states.  There's not a lot that doesn't come from other states.  The other dangerous thing about it is that there are a lot of uphill climbs.  The past 3 times we have come home we have had the same thing happen:  We are driving up a hill and have a semi in front of us and are passing more, slower semi's on the right.  The semi in front finally realizes he is slowing down too much so pulls over into the right lane to let us pass him.  Almost as soon as he pulls over, he realizes that the semi in front of him is going a lot slower than he is and he doesn't want to put on his brakes to slow down, so he puts his blinker on and starts to come back over.  Of course by this time I have already started to pass him and have reached the front portion of his back tire.  He starts to come over, realizes that I am there (and that there are also cars behind me in the left lane also wanting to pass him) so he tries to pull back over, but the semi in the right lane is going even slower now (coming to the top portion of the hill) and he doesn't have enough room and so hits his brakes, I hit my brakes, the car(s)  behind me hit their brakes and we all come within less than a foot of each other without (thankfully) causing a wreck (and I am so far to the right that I am on the shoulder driving on the rumble strips - no, I am past the rumble strips!).  Then he continues to pull all the way over into the left lane and finally passes the slow semi, and pulls back into the right lane in front of the slow semi.  After re-starting my heart, I floor it, pass him and pull into the right lane so the cars behind me can re-start their hearts and do the same by passing me.  AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!

Isn't there a better way than having so many semi's on the interstates?  Can't we make them take the state highways?  Or ship everything by rail?

Here's a warning:  If you are driving on the interstate and see a truck either put on his left blinker, or weave a little bit to the left - BACK AWAY FROM HIM!!  Even if you have traffic behind you, don't even think you can pass him.  Let him go ahead and get in the left lane and pass the people he is wanting to, and then you can pass him.  Because he's going to do it anyway, whether you're there or not.  :0+

I wish I had pulled in behind him when he finally got back in the right lane and wrote down his truck license number and reported him.

2 comments:

Delirious said...

Yikes!!! Be careful! That is frightening!

Inklings said...

I get it. We had a few scares ourselves this weekend.