In my time in Bloomington, I've come to realize a few things: IU parking is a rip-off, riding the buses sucks and hardly anyone in this town knows how to drive. While I've seen idiot drivers from all over the country, Indiana drivers are among the worst. Don't worry, I'm not one of those trendy East coast kids dissing you redneck Indiana hicks. I'm actually from the Hoosier state, and because of my citizenship here, I've witnessed some spectacular feats in reckless driving.
In Bloomington and elsewhere in Indiana, people seemingly have never even seen a turn signal before. They're not really sure what that lever is for, but they know it can turn on the wiper blades (in many cars at least). Another form of vehicular stupidity is tailgating. Some folks want to ride right no more than two feet behind you. Who cares about the trailing distance your driver's ed instructor told you to follow, right? However, this presents an opportunity: A good brake check on these people could help you get a new car, maybe even a new house if you have "suffered" extensive physical or emotional damage.
On campus, it doesn't stop with drivers. Bikers and pedestrians flood the streets, seemingly 90 percent of whom frolic about without even realizing that motor vehicles exist. Of these, the bicyclists are the worst -- not content to merely play in traffic, they fly down the sidewalk as if they were Lance in the Tour de France. Although I cannot confirm it, I'm pretty certain that the majority of them are in fact trying to kill any pedestrians caught walking to class. Maybe that's the reason the folks on foot forget to look before crossing the street -- they're fleeing to safety! By the way, just in case you're interested, all of you careless pedestrians and bikers should be wary of walking/riding out in front of me without looking -- my brakes are fading fast. You've been warned: Look both ways before crossing.
While all of these groups are pretty dangerous, let's not forget those geniuses who insist on yammering into their cell phones while driving. These people are presumably talking about something that could almost certainly wait until they get home, possibly even the rest of their lives, while apparently forgetting that they are still behind the wheel. This often ends up causing a wreck, or at least pisses off those who are smart enough to actually focus on the road.
According to Indiana State Police statistics, 322 crashes were investigated in the Bloomington district in 2005. If that number seems small to you, don't forget these are only the accidents that involved the police, and there are many more numbskulls out there who still should have never gotten their licenses in the first place.
C'mon, it's not like road safety is rocket science. Hey, if you want to daydream, just don't do it on the road -- that's what class is for.
