So, I have to run an errand and I’m retuning home. I decide to take the freeway because it’s faster.
I’ve done this I don’t know how many times, and usually there’s no problem. The entrance ramp has a lane that extends for about one hundred (100) yards before going off to another freeway entrance. You get on the entrance ramp, adjust your speed, put on your turn signal, and merge onto the freeway.
Now the only real issue with the steps outlined above is putting on your turn signal. Around here, if you put on your turn signal to indicate a lane change on the freeway the natives take it to mean ‘speed up and block the merging car.’ This is one of the things that makes me think self-driving cars are a Good Thing(tm) and flying cars are a Bad Thing(tm).
I get on the entrance ramp, start speeding up, put on my turn signal and look for an opening to merge. There is a car in the lane next to mine just puttering along, maybe doing fifty (50) miles per hour. Okay, I’ll just get ahead of her and merge onto the freeway.
I start speeding up so I can get ahead of the person and get to the freeway speed of sixty-five (65) miles an hour. Not doing at least 65 will get you run over by an eighteen (18) wheeler.
I get about even with the other car and look over and it’s a woman driving. She looks over at me and suddenly speeds up. WTF?
I’m still accelerating to sixty-five and trying to get ahead of her so I can merge onto the freeway. She starts matching my speed and blocking me. I glance over and she shoots me the bird. Really?
I’m looking ahead and noting that I’m running out of lane to be able to merge. I press the gas pedal down so I can try to get ahead of her but she’s still matching my speed and blocking me.
We’re getting to the point of no return, so I do something that might cause an accident but there isn’t much other choice. I hit the brakes and slow down significantly. Screeching to a halt would have been suicidal but slowing down suddenly is hurting my chances of being able to merge. Fortunately there isn’t anyone else behind the woman blocking me in her lane so I figured I’d slide in behind her and go on about getting home.
As soon as I slow down, this crazy woman swerves in front of me, nearly hitting the front end of my car, and goes to the entrance ramp for the other freeway. She never had her turn signal on to indicate a lane change.
What? Signaling that you were going to get into my lane was too much effort for you? Instead you have to drag race down the entrance lane and nearly cause an accident? Since you were going slower and blocking traffic getting on to the freeway you couldn’t have just slotted in behind me when I passed you to get on?
Again, let’s take driving out of the hands of humans and turn it over to AI. Humans are too irrational to be allowed to have the responsibility.
Let’s be safe out there, my Hordeling.
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