I took a nice long drive today. From Bass Lake, CA back home to Mission Viejo, CA. It normally takes about 6.5 hours with a family + dog. Today I drove solo and did it in 5.5 hours. So that calculates as:
(Tim + Family + Dog) - (Tim Alone) = 1.0 Hours
No, I was not a math whiz in school. But I knew it would be faster and I knew it would allow a little more thinking time on the way. And if you know me at all, you know I like to think. To a fault.
And, because I was driving during the week on the 5 Freeway I met a few truckers along the way. Now, let me just say I have not always been a big fan of truckers. During sales training in Colorado, I almost got tossed off of a snow-filled highway by an 18 wheeler. Who, by the way, did not slow down to see if I made it through the pass.
But, over the years, I've come to appreciate the work they do, the sacrifices they make and the life they lead out there on the open road. I've even, yes, come to have some empathy for them. Especially during the tough economy as fewer trucks are needed to transport fewer goods.
But even more present was the fact that I had recently indoctrinated my kids into the Smokey and the Bandit movie club. You have to get a good feeling for truckers after watching that movie!
So I had that on my mind as I drove along. And, surprise surprise, an idea popped in. One that should help truckers and potentially allow for a more friendly relationship between 4-wheelers and 18 wheelers.
It hit me as I was watching yet another big truck try to change lanes. Not an easy thing for a truck driver to do, right? Of course, if you have ever driven a car on the freeway, the last thing you want is a big old nasty truck in front of you. Be honest.
You can't see around them, they are dirty, they spew black clouds and, well, I'd rather zip ahead of them and be done with it.
But I'm thinking "that's dangerous". And it is. And the more people do it, the more chance that someone will get hurt. If they don't get hurt, my guess is that each "drive-by" begins to irritate the big guy in the trailer. Not good.
With me so far?
After watching driver after driver rush ahead of one specific truck today, I had an idea to help. It came from a more dastardly place in my mind. The one that says:
"That truck driver just needs to move over. That'll teach those cars to pass like that."
Of course I would never suggest anyone perform an unsafe maneuver in a big ol' truck. I'm just saying that's where the thought came from originally!
So here's the idea.
Each truck should be fitted with special tri-colored turn signal lights. Here's how it would work:
- GREEN - driver has initiated a lane change
- YELLOW - driver will begin moving over in three seconds
- RED - driver is now changing lanes
The industry could do some public service announcements to educate consumers on the new signals and their use can be part of the education shared in the driver's handbook.
So, when you go to get your license renewed next year . . .
Don't forget. Green, yellow then red.
Oh, and, go hug a trucker. They don't bite.
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