Instant Gratification

I'd like to say that I am a very observant driver. I like to know what's going on around me and what other drivers are doing - at ALL times. C has a great time making fun of me while I drive and constantly comment on the stupid driving maneuvers I see around me. I didn't use to be like this. It just seemed to happen over time. It also doesn't help that my daily commute is on one of the deadliest stretches of highway in Canada.

I honestly never encountered so many bad drivers before I moved to the GTA. (to my American readers GTA = greater Toronto area) I come from a smaller town in Eastern Ontario where it's rare to even encounter 3 or 4 cars as you pull onto the 401 -- unlike here, where you're pretty much guaranteed to pull right into traffic anytime you get on. In my city/town here in the GTA, a yellow light suddenly means "go faster and lets see how many more we can get through the intersection before the light turns red!", not "time to slow down and stop". I actually even got rear-ended several years ago because I stopped when the light was yellow! It was a very snowy day, the roads were bad, so I felt it would be safer to stop rather than attempt to turn left on a yellow. I stop, then suddenly feel a BANG behind me! Unbelievable!

Another big thing I noticed here in the GTA is SPEED. Holy cow, people around here are always in such a rush! I've learned to not even bother going the speed limit because if you try, you will have a pile of cars right on your but, or zipping by you. The speed limit on the highway is 100 km/hr. In the mornings on my way to work, I quickly realized that if you don't want to die, you best be going at least 120! It's nuts!

Yesterday on my way back to the office from lunch I was driving on a main road in town where the speed limit is 50 km/hr. I was driving around 56 km/hr and there was this complete douche bag on my butt. He eventually passed me and that was it. Fast forward several intersections and I see a police car coming up behind me in the other lane. After a few lights the officer ended up ahead of me a bit, but I could still see him. Good news, the douche bag from earlier certainly did NOT see him! I don't know how he didn't see him either since the officer was in the right lane, about 2 cars back from douche bag in the left lane sitting at a red light. Well light turns green, douche bag speeds off. He was probably going 65 in a 50 and BANG... lights go off on the police cruiser and douche bag gets pulled over.

Instant gratification.