Hazard lights used to be something that were used to indicate emergency, or a distressing reason why the driver cannot move out of the road. They were used in extreme cases. These days, hazard lights are basically get-out-of-jail-free cards for drivers. And it’s like, “I’m in the middle of the road, loading furniture, but it’s ok because I have my hazards on” and “I’m driving on the wrong side of the road but understand, I have my hazards on” or “I pulled in front of you and then braked sharply to pull into the parking you wanted, but look! My hazards are on.” You want to yell at people and make them understand that no, it is in fact no acceptable to just put hazards on and then do just about whatever you want to.
I suppose the first to go was the hooter. When you do your learners, the answer to “When may a hooter be used?” is always “c) Only in case of an imminent accident to warn other drivers”. Once you start driving, it seems that a hooter is anything from “Hey guy” to “How’s my driving?” It reminds me of the scene in a Simpsons episode where the family are about to embark on a long journey and as they pull onto the highway, there is back to back, unmoving traffic. Doh! Homer then announces, “Don’t worry everybody. I have a trick up my sleeve’ and sits on the hooter.
Don’t even get me started on traffic circles, which, like technology, are only as smart as their users. Unless circles are used correctly BY EVERYONE, they do not work. Giving way to someone you shouldn’t is not KIND, it’s just f%#$ing stupid and causes breakdown in the system.
It concerns me slightly though that these things bother me so much now, where I drive maybe 5km in a busy week, in a traffic-free little town, with reserved parking. Perhaps I shouldn’t apply for work in Johannesburg…
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