The Speed Limit

Dear fellow drivers that travel along Garner Road between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Yeargan Road,

I have a confession to make.  There have been many times where I have been frustrated with you.  You probably didn’t know this (unless you could tell because I was tailgating you) but I wanted to get this off my chest and clear the air.  The reason I get frustrated is simple.  You are rarely driving the speed limit.  The speed limit is clearly posted at 45mph.  Yet almost every single time I get behind you, you insist on driving 35.  I can understand if this was a once in a while occurrence, but you do it on a daily basis!  That stretch of road is 3.6 miles long.  There are plenty of speed limit signs that you pass.  How do you not see any of them?  If you do, why do you ignore them?

I would maybe understand if the road was curvy, but it is a fairly straight shot.  The thing that makes it even more frustrating is that for a pretty straight road, there aren’t many opportunities to pass you.  I would also maybe understand if it was a scenic route, but it’s not.  Now I know you are thinking that I don’t need to get frustrated but here is the thing.  I have places to be and you are making it take longer to get there.  Sure it may only be 10-20 seconds but when I am riding behind you twice a day that time really starts to add up.

So I know it might be a little scary at first to increase your speed by 10mph, but I really want you to give it a try.  If you need to take baby steps why don’t you start by going 40mph a few times and then kick it up to 45mph.  If 45mph is still uncomfortable, then just imagine you are living out your dream of being just like Dale Earnhart and that could put your mind at ease.  No matter what it takes, make sure you do it.  Right now you are failing at driving and you need to change that.

In return, I will work on staying calm when I am behind you.  I’ll back off and give you your space to gain the confidence you need to travel down a fairly straight road with minimal intersections at 45mph.  Pretty soon I will no longer get frustrated at you and you will be driving 45mph.  It’s a win-win!  If you are not OK with this proposal, please do me a favor.  Stay off Garner Road.

until next time…