DRIVING ETIQUETTE MISSING ON BROWNSVILLE STREETS

By Juan Montoya
Remember when local residents used to complain of drivers with cars bearing Mexican license plates?
Sometimes these drivers would go the wrong way on a one-way street, slow down because they didn't know where a certain store was, or, out of precaution, drive slower than the speed limit. Locals would see their plates and shake their heads in disapproval at their driving habits.
"They'd be driving like hell if they were in Matamoros," someone would inevitably complain.

Well, this came to mind today as we drove around procuring the makings for the Fourth of July barbecue like charcoal, fuel, a bird or two, sausage, ribs, etc.
We observed some local drivers who have developed some horrible drivers habits themselves. Do you know any of these driver species?

The Cross-Corner Driver: This is the guy who is so impatient to get to where he's going that he will come to a red light where he wants to turn right, drive into a gas station or business on the corner, and go around the parking lot to get to the cross street without having to wait like the rest of us. The one we saw today came speeding out of the parking lot into the side street and nearly struck a car that was edging away from a gas pump onto the same street. He honked and stepped on the gas even harder and...had to stop because the light had already changed and traffic was moving on the lanes.

The Arrow Ignoring Driver: You come to a stop with three lanes. The southbound intersection of Old Port Isabel Road and Boca Chica Blvd. that turns into McDavitt on the other side is a good example. The left one is to turn left. The center one is to go straight. And the one on the right is to go right only. The arrows are clearly marked right below the traffic light. But it never fails. The driver on the right-only light decides to go straight and steps on the gas. If the driver in the center light does not take the precaution and glances over to his right, it is probable that he will crash into the speeding driver who decided to go straight instead. Watch out for this guy.

The Distracted Driver: You come to a protected left turn with an arrow light that turns green to allow the left-turning traffic to pass (and left turning oncoming traffic as well) as at the corner of eastbound Price Road and northbound Old Port Isabel Road. The driver ahead of you seems to be unaware that the green arrow light has come on and remains stopped. You decide to give him time to react, and don't honk at him for a little while. Then, exasperated that he still has not moved, you honk as the green arrow light turns yellow and then quickly red. He speeds off and turns onto Old Port Isabel and no one else behind him is able to turn until the next green arrow because the oncoming traffic already got a green light and is moving forward.

The Real Estate Speculator: You come to an intersection and fall in behind a driver who seems to think that an intersection is a place to gawk at the real estate around it to see what is up for sale. There is no hurrying this guy. Sometimes he is engrossed in an obviously deep conversation with a passenger and gesticulates with his free hand and slows down to emphasize his point as he cruises across the intersection.

The Front-End Intruder: You're driving on Boca Chica with two lanes and a left-turning lane at cross roads. You are driving on the right lane and there is another car driving next to you in the lane to your left. As you come to the driveway of a business on the right, a driver pulls up to Boca Chica and edges his front end out onto the road. You have a choice. Try to avoid him by turning to the left and possibly sideswipe the car next to you. Slow down and even stop to let him know that you could hit him for driving too far into the road. Or simply stop and shake your head until he realizes what he doing and backs up to let you pass safely.

The Entry-Ramp Hog: You are trying to get onto the expressway and put on your turn signal to let drivers on the right lane on the expressway know your intentions. Even if there are no cars in the other lanes, the lone driver in the lane you're trying to enter refuses to move over and let you enter the expressway. Instead, you have to slow down and let him pass and move forward. Then, when you try to pass him, he speeds up as if he is insulted that someone is trying to pass him.

The Comadre Syndrome Driver: You're on a city street with only two lanes and parking space on both sides. There are cars parked on both sides of the street and you come upon two cars parked side by side (usually two big pickups) in the middle of the street. They are busy gabbing it up and ignore the fact that cars are waiting behind them to pass. In fact, they seem upset that they can't continue chismoleando and talking about old times because you actually want to use the street for the purpose for which it was designed and constructed. Resenting the interruption, they let you now how they feel about the intrusion by purposely driving slowly and making you wait as they wave goodbye to their pal.

The Napoleon In The Big Truck Syndrome: A driver in a big pickup truck purposely muscles his way across a parking lot or a street throwing the huge machine at smaller vehicles and making them stop and let him pass (Like a King Ranch Edition). Oblivious to the fact that others have to give up their right-of-way to let him pass, they glower at the drivers of the smaller vehicles and dare them to get in their way. When they get off the trucks (sometimes with foot rails on the sides), they turn out to be some little runt wearing a big Texan hat to make themselves look bigger.

We won't even get into the subject of drivers using their cell-phone or texting.

Sometimes it's infuriating to come across these folks on the road, but as the DPS cautions, two wrongs don't make a right and retaliation can only make matters worse. The goal is to do your necessary driving and get safely to your destination without running into one of these driver species.