DC Drivers: Today is Disrespectful Driver Day!

How hard is it to be a respectful, while still driving defensively and assertively? In my relatively short commute to work today (less than 3 miles) I encountered SEVERAL disrespectful people. It started off with the bitch on the bike in a too-short summer dress, a backpack & blazer, and winter gloves (um - what? Fashion Police!! Make an arrest!), holding up her gloved pointer finger at me signaling for me to wait for her AFTER I had already come to a full stop to let her cross the intersection before me. Since when do bikes rule the road? Too bad a bus wasn't around to hit her. She subsequently kept trying to race me to intersections (um, I'm a car. You are on a bike. I hit you, you die. You hit me, I sue you. Either way, you lose) and then cut off a bunch of other cars as she crossed against the RED light on Reservoir Rd. Damn, that class at Georgetown that you are late for must be really really important.

Then, on 35th, there was the woman in the Range Rover who clearly had nowhere important to be. I had fully stopped to allow a nanny to cross the street with her two cutie charges, when the RR was already at the intersection. According to the drivers' ed class I took (not sure if DC drivers forget the rules of the road when driving in the District), it would be her turn to go. She was at the intersection first.
Me: Lady, it's your turn - go!
Her: lalalalalalala, oh! I should go? Its my turn?
Me: Yes lady and in the amount of time you've taken to realize that, I could have been at work already!!!
She represents an example of a not-so-smart blonde or at least one who had no respect for other drivers and that they might need to be somewhere in a timely manner. On a day that the papal appearance is already clogging traffic, can't people just have a little respect and pay attention? Is that too much to ask?

The morning culminated with arriving in the parking lot to have a very large black SUV up my butt. I turned toward my parking spot, which is typically reserved with an orange cone, and she turned right behind me, slamming her brakes on so as not to rear-end me (what happened to the rule about leaving at least ONE car-length between you and other cars??). I jumped out and asked her if she were going to be parking in the spot next to me, thinking I would save her time also - even though I was late - by moving the other spot's cone out of the way so she would not have to get out of her car too. What did I get in response? An angry wave and a "No! I'm parking over there!" which btw, would have been much easier for her to get to if she had gone around - where there were no other cars in her way.

So as a way to let go of my anger and turn the rest of my day into a productive one - I'm declaring today "Disrespectful Driver Day." And, I'd recommend everyone stay out of my way on the commute home.