Vancouver weather and Drivers - a receipe for disaster!!

whats going on in Vancouver??? Snow storms, wind storms, rain storms (ok we are used to those!) and then 10 min after all that - SUN!!

man, talk about greenhouse effect!!!

and since the weather brings out the absolut WORST in Vancouver: DRIVERS - might as well rant a little about that.

what is it with people here that as soon as a drop of wet hits the road they become scared driving? i mean - its totally fine to drive CAREFUL! i wish more people would (and yes that includes yours truly who is known all over the province as "the Lead-foot Kid")! But to drive 20 km/h down a major road that is barely flooded with visibility at least 10 feet and then on the FAST (ie: LEFT) lane takes the bacon to the heartattack!

i am sooooooooooo sick of drivers who just dont know the rules of the road - so here they are:

Rule #1: when you see me coming get out of the way! F A S T!
Rule #2: MOVE IT!
Rule #3: F** you, you stupid a**hole - take your ass to the RIGHT lane......

ok..all joking aside:

since i live in BC i am only talking about BC - dont know how it is anywhere else in Canada or the US for that matter (and those guys drive worse then we do!! - ok so i think i am perfect - sue me!) .

here are some suggestions on how to get our accident rates down (i just read that we have 1019 injuries per 100,000 drivers in BC) and maybe get some better drivers on the road:

1) put certified instructors on the roads!!

- in Vancouver alone exist over 450 driving schools. Every Nitwit with a certificate has
his/her own school. I haven't done the reasearch on this, but it cant be THAT difficult to get
certified - you should see some of those instructors out there - they drive worse then their
students!!! And those morons are supposed to teach our youngens to cope in the asphalt
jungle? To live and survive this war between personalized tanks and their commanders?

Teach the teacher proper before you let them lose on some innocent 15 or 16 year old!!!

It doesn't help when a student gets their lesson in a Ford Mustang or RX 7. How about teaching them in a Formula 1 car. Might as well!!!


2) mandatory driving instructions for at least 6 month before anyone is even allowed to
ATTEMPT to take the licensing test:

- i received my driver's training in Germany. I felt at times i was drafted into the
"Wehrmacht" (thats the WW II army that had arguably some of the best trained soldiers in
history). I didnt even get to use the gas or break paddle until my 5th lesson. All i was allowed
to do is steer! IN AN EMPTY PARKING LOT! after 3 lessons i was introduced to the art of
gear- shifting. My driving instructor (i called him "Little Adolf") swore at me every time i
didnt do something right.

Anecdote time-out: i was on the Autobahn - my first time ever - after 5 month of intense driving instructions. So i am out there (shaking like a Maple Leafs Player coming to Vancouver, knowing he gets a well deserved beat'n) and have no idea what to do. I asked my instructor how fast he wanted me to go.
All he said was: "whats the legal speed LIMIT on the German Autobahn?" i answered "130". He responded: "i do NOT want to see you under 150."

Welcome to the Autobahn. Needless to say i was shaking so bad we took the next exit and i had to do it all over again!! Hey....try being 17 and holding a car steady at 60 never mind 160!! DARE YOU!

anyway - i finally managed to go in for my test after 9 month of army like drilling. I failed. BADLY! Had to take more lessons and finally got my license.

Moral of this story: i was so damn well trained that there is nothing out there i am not prepared for when it comes to traffic - weather, bad drivers, off-road or highway. I have the ability to control my car as best as a car can be controlled (barring any acts of G-D!)

3) up the age limit to 18.

4) any driver caught racing get an automatic 5 year ban on driving - Second
offence 10 years ban - Third offense - lifetime.

if you race and kill - mandatory 25 years without eligibility for parole. We dont
even need to go to court...just lock em up!!!

Well....what a long entry this time...holy! well...bad drivers just get to me...My wife and i fight more about my driving habits (fast and furious - my finger is sore after a trip to the store!) then about anything else!

have a wonderful day :-)