Dan Antion

I Hope ‘B’ is for You – #1LinerWeds

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you may remember an occasional series I used to do about…well, about what the sign to the right suggests. I stopped preparing those posts because the, let’s call them BSCDs, BSCDs kept raising the bar. Yesterday’s crazy drivers are today’s kinda-sorta normal drivers.

Case in point. One of my early BSCD posts was about drivers who aggressively navigated around intersections with stop signs. These days, at least once a week while I’m walking, I see someone drive through an intersection as if there is no stop sign (there is). I see them take a turn too fast and drive for several hundred feet on the wrong side of the road. Motor vehicle fatalities are up, year-over-year in Connecticut for three years—pedestrian deaths have also spiked.

Earlier this week, I was in the exit lane leading to the highway off-ramp near our neighborhood. This ramp is at a point where the right two lanes are Exit-Only lanes, and the third lane is also an exit lane. To the left of these three lanes are three travel lanes. As I approached my off-ramp, I saw signs for a work crew—they were mowing and clearing the hillside near the shoulder. Seeing people using machines and on foot, I slowed down and moved to the left (as required by State law). I still had my right turn signal on. A few seconds later, my blind spot warning started beeping. A car, traveling much faster than the 65 mph (105 kph) speed limit, passed between my car and the work crew on the shoulder. The driver then swerved in front of me and crossed the other two exit lanes before pulling back into traffic.

So, I have three one liners for you to choose from:

A) If you’re that type of driver— “Slow (adverbial phrase I can’t print) down you (adjective I can’t print) (noun I can’t print)!”

B) If you’re a driver sharing the road with the driver in A— “Please be careful out there.”

C) For the people on those road crews, around town or on the highway—I’m going to parrot the signs our Department of Transportation uses— “Let ’em Work – Let ’em Live”

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, or if you would like to join in on the fun, you can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

As the days get shorter, I’m walking close to sunrise again
Bunny Butt
One bunch of goldenrod trying to hang on
Twilight Zone fans might think of “The Last Flight”
“Shoppers in Training” Our grocery has added these for kids
Not the bird I was trying to capture, but I like it
I could almost hear Maddie barking as soon as I saw her
The pine cones on this tree have not dropped
Smokey may have to live here now. Our neighbor cut down all his trees
The things you see at sunrise
Cold and bare


If you like magical realism with suspense, action and a bit of family sarcasm, you will enjoy these books:

Knuckleheads
The Evil You Choose
When Evil Chooses You

Series page on Amazon

My profile page (and books) on Lulu

All available on Kindle Unlimited!

96 comments

  1. I have several soapboxes, and this is one of them, but I will spare you the rant. I can only say AMEN. We could have that sign every half-mile around here. Add in these homicidal round-abouts, and you’ve got sure world peace. Smokey has the right idea: don’t drive, live in a wood pile and come out occasionally for a peanut. I like that image of the pine cones.

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    • I was hoping to find that we are an anomaly here in the northeast. This guy was one wrong move (by him or me) from killing people. Things like a car moving into an exit lane to pass you, are not the things they warned about when they taught us to drive defensively. Maybe I’ll move in with Smokey. I’m not sure why the pine cones haven’t fallen. Maybe they feel safer in the trees.

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  2. Hi Dan – yes I can see this … I’m glad I live in a quieter place – we still have racers, but not as bad as elsewhere. They’ve just changed the rules here – pedestrians have the right of way at junctions – for some car drivers they just don’t know the rules … I watch what I’m doing when I cross – that day I could have been mince meat! Road rage is challenging … keep the peace is easier! Love the pics … especially Smokey smiling out at us – why did the neighbour cut his trees down? Cheers Hilary

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    • Pedestrians have always had the right of way, here. We had a law requiring motorists to stop for people in crosswalks. They changed that law this year to require drivers to stop “if people show intent of entering a crosswalk,” to help handicapped people and people with children in carriages and strollers. But many drivers ignore those laws. I usually wait, because many drivers will pull through the intersection once I get halfway across.

      One of the neighbor’s trees was in trouble. He said earlier that he was going to have them trimmed. I can only guess that the service told him trimming the tree wouldn’t help. Trees throughout this neighborhood had gotten too tall for the small lots we have. We had four 90′ 0″(27.5m) pine trees taken down 12 years ago. We’ve planted new ones since then, but it will be years until we have shade to sit under.

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  3. They are short of officers here to do speed traps so the average driver is going 15-20 MPH over the speed limit and their patience is non existent. Recently, they’ve had a couple of traps set up and found drivers going well over 100 MPH. One driver they arrested twice in one day for the same offense. Last week, I was driving a couple of miles over the speed limit on a two-lane highway. The driver behind me was incensed, so when we came to a four-way traffic light, and I put on my left turn signal, he sped up and drove right through the red light. Posted speed limits have really become suggestions, and it sure makes it dangerous out there on the roadways.

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    • I was slowing down, but still going 60. This guy passed me like I was standing still. People are dying in record numbers here, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights all seem to be unreliable means of controlling these people. Stay safe.

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  4. I think the first word out of my mouth would have been “Idiot” and then I’d continue with answer A.
    Poor Smokey, talk about loss of habitat!!
    Great flag picture today, Dan.

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  5. I choose all three one-liners….and even that doesn’t quite express it adequately!

    We have the same idiots here who believe road signs are for everyone but them. Driving is a real challenge today because so many people driving are just plain dangerous behind the wheel of a car.

    Smokey gets the award for adorable today. He’s quite happy in his little hideaway!

    Seeing Galloping Grandma brought tears to my eyes Dan. I bet when she glimpsed you she realized the situation and it brought tears to her eyes too.

    I love the kid’s shopping carts and flag sign. Very clever.

    Old Glory may be cold and bare, but she’s proud and spiffy as always.
    Ginger

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    • I’m guessing the Walker Lady was happy not to be barked at, but seeing her and not hearing the ruckus made me sad. It’s weird, when Maddie was with me and barking her fool little red head off, I just wanted her to stop. Now I miss it.

      I’ve yelled a version of one-liner A at people driving on our street like idiots, but even there, it doesn’t really help. We have to be extra careful, and we have to be careful in situations (like off-ramps) where we’re not used to dangerous drivers showing up.

      I have to cross the street three times on my way to the park. I can’t count the number of cars that roll through the stop signs without even slowing down.

      I hope you have a good day and a safe rest of the week, Ginger.

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  6. I would love to say that I would respond with B. I would love to say that. I would love to think that. But I would go with option D… Nothing I can print here and nothing my mother would approve of. Redhead=Temper… Need I say more? I love Smokey’s new condo!

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  8. OMG! Your neighbor must be some kind of %#&@ing nut! ALL his trees? 🤦‍♀️ You know, driving down here has its challenges but the rudest most aggressive driving by far is committed by Americans. In big giant SUV vehicles. There’s even a Hummer. 😳 Humans as a society seem to be digressing. No police to discourage them with tickets, no respect for human life, No FEAR tattooed on their chests and in their brains. Moderation, consideration, contemplation and mediation have been replaced by instigation, aggravation, dissociation and trepidation. When the men are at work here, often the power is turned off for hours if they are tree trimming. We just open the windows, cook something on the gas stove and ‘don’t fan the refrigerator’ as hubs’ father used to day. Too many humans don’t understand squat about inconvenience. Happy Wednesday Dan. ((((Maddie)))) ❤️

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    • One of our other neighbors used to say, “it takes a long time to make shade.” Those were mature trees. At least one needed to come down, but it’s always sad to see trees go. As for the reckless driver, I can’t believe this one, John. He had to be going over 80 mph as he swerved between me and that work crew. He literally came out of nowhere from my perspective. I was very happy to have that blind spot warning.

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  10. I’d have to go with A every time. I know those lanes of which you speak–that’s when the ‘fun’ starts. Either the driver is new, out of state, or was not paying attention because the ‘speeding up to switch lanes’ goes forward full blast. I’m surprised there are not more accidents…
    Smokey looks so cute. I’m glad he will be staying with you.
    Walker lady! I closed my eyes and heard Maddie barking at her. Sweetest sound ever.
    Oh, the ‘not the bird’ photo is a beauty! You know I love photos like that. Such a great gallery today, especially, Dan.

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    • Thanks Lois. I tend to go with A myself. We do have more accidents here. The fatality rate spiked in 2020 and grew in 2021 and appears to be heading toward another record year in 2022.

      I could hear Maddie barking at that woman. I’m glad you liked my failed attempt to capture the bird.

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  11. Dan, some of the drivers here in New Jersey probably rival some of the drivers in your state of Connecticut for dangerous idiocy, but I’ll concede Connecticut’s “superiority” in unsafe motoring on an alphabetical “C” before “NJ” basis. :-)

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  13. I heard on the news this morning that the New Jersey legislature hopes to enact a law where drivers with NJ plates are not liable for traffic tickets from speed cameras in other states…they already have a law banning speed cameras in their own state. I can only scratch my head and say “What??!!” Obviously their “rights” to drive as they wish supersede anyone else’s life… (Where have we seen that attitude show up before?) I’m so glad I’m rarely driving, although obviously you have to look both ways and everywhere else as a pedestrian these days. (K)

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    • That’s ridiculous. Whatever happened to obeying the law when you travel? We ticket these drivers, but police don’t pursue them, as that practice led to worse accidents. Most of the time, these people are the fatality. It’s sad to think they care so little for themselves or others. And yes, pedestrian deaths have gone up in each of the past three years in CT, as well.

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  16. I drove by one accident yesterday (which obviously had just happened), and I saw an accident take place today. Both within three miles of home. Both where speeds aren’t supposed to be above 25 mph. I see people driving with heads down looking at phones. I see people blowing through stop signs at intersections. And specifically with regard to the work zones and accident scenes, a general disregard for slowing down to care for the road workers, first responders, police, etc. Lots of factors involved, but at the end of the day defensive driving is Job One. All of these one-liners are needed. Poor Smokey. I do hate it when old trees get the ax. Kudos to the goldenrod for hangin’ in there.

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    • It’s the disregard for safety at this work zone that brought this to a tipping point for me Bruce. That crew had nowhere to go, no vehicles to protect them. To put them at risk like that is unconscionable. On my way home from a lunch meeting today, I watched as 8 cars blew through a red light that had a “No Turn On Red” sign. One guy actually went straight through the light. All of them turned or drove in front of cars coming the other way that had a Left Turn Green Arrow.

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      • For my area, I actually think Covid had a hand in the running of stop signs and lights. When we were in lockdown mode, there were very few cars out here and people got in the habit of just rolling through. And they’ve kept the habit. I really believe that is a part of what I am seeing these days in those instances. Dan, I’d be mad as heck too if I saw people going that fast in a work area.

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  19. Dan, always a delight to read your posts. I have unladylike adverbs, adjectives, and nouns that I say out load at “idiot” drivers. Poor Smokey. At least he has a covered home. I always appreciate your flag photos. We have an American flag flying every day, except during high winds when it would take a beating. God Bless America. Have a good rest of the week! 📚🎶 Christine

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  20. I once stood in the road trying to warn drivers that a truck had lost it’s load of lug nuts and industrial sized screws and bolts in the lane ahead and I couldn’t believe the number of drivers who flipped me off. Some people get in the car with the attitude that everyone else just needs to get out of their way.

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  21. Balderdash! It seems like the first place we have to look for cars is wherever they are NOT supposed to be. Sorry, Dan. That’s actually scary.
    I guess the mortality rate for your nice cover-things has skyrocketed without those trees. But Smokey poking his head up from that one really is awfully cute. Hugs.

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  22. Unfortunately Arizona drivers are some of the worst I’ve been unfortunate to be around. A week without seeing an accident is an amazing week and I’m talking about on surface roads, not highways. I think it’s a pity so many vehicles are evidently built without working indicators/blinkers/turn signals. :-/ And just as evidently, either many people never took driver’s ed or they forgot everything they learned. We also seem to have lots of drag racing on streets that has recently caused a number of deaths. Bad stuff.

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  25. HI Dan, I am sorry to hear the driving is so back in your part of the world. In South Africa, the driving is awful and with the frequent power outages, it has become rather dreadful driving in traffic. There is a a big trade in the purchase of fraudulent drivers licenses here so half our drivers don’t know how to drive as they just purchase a driving license. I thought it would be better in First World Countries.

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    • During the pandemic, Robbie, some states eliminated testing requirements for new drivers. Our neighbor’s kid applied and got his legal license in the mail. Still, I don’t think that’s the source of the worst drivers. The guy who passed me in the work zone looked to be in his 50s.

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  27. First of all, thank you for your willingness to take in Smokey as a refugee since the (adjective I can’t print) neighbor cut down all his trees. I think using the ( …) makes your one-liner funnier since we get to fill in the blank. Those blind spot warnings are one of the greatest inventions ever. I love your “Let them live” sign. Great job!

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    • Thanks JoAnna. We’ve been feeding these guys a little more frequently as they scramble to build new nests before winter kicks into gear. Lots of people around here still want the “ideal” lawn that looks like a green carpet, completely devoid of life. We are chemical-free, and feed birds and squirrels and anyone else who happens by.

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  29. It is a great sign and my beau and I have just been talking about the lack of courtesy in the parking lot, never mind the roads. It’s like they don’t think stop signs count within the lot. So dangerous. As for the eejit (I would add my own choice adjectives, adverbs and nouns, as well) who passed you on the right… I don’t like to wish ill – that whole karma thing – but hopefully karma nails him/her. It is a law here, too, that if you cannot change lanes to give them more room, you have to slow down. Lovely photos.

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    • Hit enter by mistake… 92 comments before my own…. must be a popular post! Love the bunny butt, and Smokey poking his head out of the tarp, and of course Old Glory, hanging down waiting for the sun and breeze to bring her around. We’re going to be moving back down to San Diego after the first of the year, moving into an assisted living facility. I have no doubts that the change in noise level and activity will take time to adjust to. San Diego has over a million population and our little town here has just over 30,000. Saying that, I can sit here and mentally count the number of traffic lights in town. LOL Do take care –so glad to have found you and your wonderful books. Blessings to you… T

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