A few months ago on these pages I wrote a “scootering” column after suffering a Jones fracture in my right foot. Because I was required to keep weight off my foot to allow it to heal (doctor’s orders!), rather than use crutches (ugh!), I purchased three knee scooters and was scootering here, there and everywhere.
One of those places I was scootering was all over our neighborhood. Initially I thought my broken foot was going to put a stop to the 3-mile walks that my wife and I take most mornings. But it turned out that the “outdoor” scooter I bought with the inflated bike-style wheels was perfect for the sidewalks, streets and paths around our community. This allowed me to continue joining my wife as my foot healed – all without putting any weight on it.
During those weeks of healing, my wife would walk our usual routes around the neighborhood and I would scooter beside her, my right knee up on the scooter pad and my right foot in an orthopedic boot. During these walks we were always impressed and grateful for the many, many well-wishes we received from our friends and neighbors as we went by.
Even more impressive though were the times when I would be sitting alone on the scooter while resting a bit (it turns out scootering can be tiring). Several times when I did, people stopped their cars to ask if I needed assistance. I’m not sure if that was a good thing (neighborliness) or a bad thing (I looked old, in distress, or both). But nonetheless, it was very nice that people stopped!
Fast forward in time to today, and my foot has healed enough that I’ve returned to walking a bit. My wife has graciously agreed to slow down her pace a little as I work my way back in shape, and we’ve resumed some sense of normalcy in our morning walks. And, as we go through the neighborhood, we’ve again been impressed and grateful at the number of people who have remarked that it’s good to see me back walking. Some have even come out of their houses just to yell encouragement.
The basic decent human kindness in a lot of people can be pretty darn impressive when it shows up!
And, then there are those moments when that basic decent kindness sort of disappears for some people. Like when they surround themselves with two tons of metal and go out and drive on the streets and highways of Happy Valley.
A big downside of having a Jones fracture in your right foot is that, although scootering may allow you to get around in places you would normally walk, there is no easy workaround for driving a car. I, like most everyone else, use my right foot for the gas and brake pedals. And putting weight on your foot – such as pushing on a brake pedal – is a big no-no.
Which meant that for two months I was a passenger in our Honda Pilot as my wife drove me around to all the places I needed to go. This resulted in my wife doing a bit more driving around Happy Valley than she normally does, and we also got to spend more time in the car together locally commenting on the quality of driving around town.
Which, as some of you may have noticed, is sometimes not all that good.
Now, my wife and I have lived in Orlando, where a combination of retired folks and tourists combine to make any drive a constant guessing game of “which way is that car going to go?” Not to mention, “It’s just rain. You can use the gas pedal.”
We also lived in the northeast Philadelphia suburbs and drove regularly in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City, where the primary driving mindset seems to be, “This is my space, mess with it at your peril.” Which is quickly followed by, “I’m taking that space, so suck it!”
Plus, we’ve traveled, worked and spent time in 40 of the 50 states. Meaning, we’ve seen plenty of bad driving over the million-plus miles we’ve gone in the last 40 years.
Happy Valley, however, with its varying demographics, weather, topography and instant urban/rural changes, seems to create a stew that, even with significantly fewer vehicles, would challenge any of the areas around the country for worst drivers.
A stew that seems to me to be exacerbated by one car brand – Subaru.
Granted, unkind drivers use a number of different makes and models of vehicles to enact their treachery on the rest of us, but Subarus, as a percentage of their presence on the road, seem to over-represent themselves in this category. Understanding that my opinions are broad generalizations and also stereotypes, but it’s almost as if, locally at least, Subaru has replaced Buick as the car brand of which to be extra aware.
Now, there are many different treacheries that these unkind drivers foist on us, but there are four main ones that, if people would just stop doing them, would clear up 75% of all the bad driving we see around town.
The first is people merging or turning onto the road in front of you without the room to do so, making you brake to avoid hitting them. Science Park Road as it merges into West College Avenue is a perfect example of where this happens regularly, but any corner turning onto a main road is a victim. If you pull out and I have to brake to avoid hitting you, you’re doing it wrong. Be kind, let me go by as you should, and then you can go.
Second is people “parking” in the left passing lane. Luckily, we are a primarily rural area so we don’t have a lot of four lane streets in town. But Blue Course Drive, South Atherton Street and East College Avenue have uninterrupted 45 mph sections where drivers will cruise in the passing lane at the same speed as a car in the right lane. It’s called the “passing lane” for a reason. If you’re not passing, be kind, get over to the right and let me use the lane for its designated purpose.
The third is people turning across lanes. This issue has been intensified by the map apps that so many of us use on our phones. “Turn left,” Siri will say. And you will oblige even if you are in the right lane on College or Beaver Avenue. Or Atherton Street. You might even slow down, stop, and block traffic behind you as you wait for someone to let you make that Siri-required left turn. Just be kind, ignore Siri, keep driving straight and she will re-calculate and get you back on track. I promise.
Lastly, people driving well below the speed limit. Certainly we all want to obey the speed limits on all our streets. However, if you are driving along, look in your rearview mirror and see a line of cars behind you, some of whom might be rather close, maybe you are driving a little too slowly. Be kind and either increase your speed, or pull off at the first safe space and let those cars go by you, then you can continue on your way without all that bad karma piling up behind you.
If the last few months of scootering has taught me anything, it’s, as I said, that basic decent human kindness in a lot of people can be pretty darn impressive. If we could keep showing it when we wrap ourselves in our vehicles, that would be even more impressive!
