Emergency? Really??

Stuck in a jam or crawling slowly through rush hour traffic I have over the years accepted the fact that if I want to live in the city or it vicinity and enjoy the luxury of a daily commute with an overpriced car (not because it is expensive per se, but the taxes for cars are exorbitantly high), traffic jams are going to be part and parcel of it. If I want to dream of a traffic jam life, I have to either work on a Sunday only or shift base out into the country side or suburbs and work there or from home.

But being stuck in a jam is not all that bad. For one, its a total alone "me" time where you can hear your thoughts louder than usual and if one can separate the stress of driving away, then it is actually a good time for reflection and planning. Heck, people came up with apps to bring about motivational talks to the smartphones for the drive home and what better time to listen to one of it than being stuck in the car with nothing else potentially productive to do.

Oh yes, there will always be some hero who would be able to play Candy Crush while being stuck in a jam. For the life of me I have no idea how can that be done. Gone are the days of don't talk and drive....these days people text and drive (yes I am guilty of it), but Candy Crush and drive? That's taking it to a whole new level......or maybe I'm just an outdated fart...

Anyway let me talk about the paradox of the emergency lane.

Seriously. How often do we have an emergency and a need for that lane? I mean truly ask ourselves, what are the odd of our car breaking down regularly, or suffering a punctured tyre, or maybe having a passenger who is in the midst of labour...?

The answer.....

Everyday there's a whole bunch of drivers who have emergencies. And amongst the biggest emergency? Traffic jams.

Yes traffic jam these days should be re-classified as an emergency and the driving schools should incorporate that into the curriculum. Every time during rush hour and non rush hour and especially festivities, as long there is a traffic jam....there is always someone who needs to use the emergency lane. Because it is a God forsaken curse to be stuck in a traffic jam that necessitates so many drivers to use it.

Forget that it complicates other non-emergency users or real emergency road users......them traffic jam haters get first dibs to use the special lane created for them so that they can use the hazard lights which are anyway hardly used in a car also and it helps to tune and check its function. Also the left side indicator is less used and must be primed because unlike what the driving schools have been teaching, overtaking on the left most lane is more fun and less challenging and dangerous. Besides a special lane was created called the "Emergency Overtaking Lane"

Well in a way I guess these drivers were "considerate" enough to take their emergencies to a specific lane....

Show of hands for people who get annoyed with drivers who creep up behind you on the right most lane of a highway and they further signal to the right while flashing you and you are already driving at the limits of the speed limit (well usually over anyway)....I would of course love to see them cross over the highway and overtake me on the opposing lane.....would have been a reason to stop and watch them at least....

Thank goodness for TedTalk and good ol jazz music in the car......

Do not attempt to overtake a real emergency lane user....