ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

You just never know what you're going to see on the incredibly busy roads in Dallas.

Yesterday we were sitting at a stoplight at a busy intersection in Frisco. The light turned green, the car in front of us did not move.  No big deal.  That's a very common occurrence given that EVERYONE checks their phones at the stop lights these days and do not notice the change of color.

We waited.  Others behind us waited! The light turned red AGAIN....we all waited.

It turned green AGAIN....we all waited.

NOW, everybody in the line got concerned.  The driver in the non-responsive car was well,  non-responsive.  Several drivers and passengers stared. Was he sick?  Was he dead? Was he high?  Was he reading something important on his phone?

I put down my window, waved,  and started shouting....HEY...HEY...are you OK?

A young man in the car behind us jumped out and ran up to the drivers window and knocked on the glass. We wondered if we were about to see an ambush. Road rage?

The drive WOKE UP.  Nodded his head once or twice and remembered where he was.

The light turned green AGAIN....and he motored off.  We all followed!

YEP.  A young man about 35 years old fell asleep while sitting at a stop light, as it cycled through the colors a couple of times.

We've got to take care of each other on the roads these days.  Every slice of humanity, emotion, health problem, etc. is right out there.

How many times have we seen some confused immigrant slice through 6 lanes of traffic as he realized his exit was imminent?  We are convinced that many international drivers in our area are car owners yet not licensed to drive that vehicle.  Many can't read the road signs let alone the drivers test. And there are many countries that do not have "rules of the road." They're just motoring about as they would in their country.

Also, it's no longer legal to text while you're driving down the tollway at 75 miles an hour.  And everybody STILL does it.  The policemen could make a fortune by sitting on the shoulder and monitoring all the texting that is happening. Talk about distracting!

We are constantly amazed at the low number of wrecks and fatalities on the high speed highways in this area. When one does occur you can just kiss your "arrival time" goodbye.  Lines of cars waiting on a stalled car or fender bender could reach all the way to Oklahoma.  But, you know, when you're waiting and waiting and waiting, you have no idea that there are 17 miles of cars ahead of you, also waiting. There's always the hope of "it'll break up here in a minute."  45 minutes later, you realize your patience will not be rewarded.

Sometimes the answer to "backup" is the trusty GPS app.  If there is a red line on that little screen all the way down the tollway, skip it! Take your chances on the stoplights on the side roads.  If you're lucky the 20 min. drive will now take 57 minutes and not the projected 60!

And if someone WAKES UP the driver that is asleep, you might just arrive before dark thirty.

IF I'm on the road during rush hour, I try to always pack a lunch, plenty of water, phone, phone charger, extra can of gas, a good book and a blankie....just in case I need a nap!

Be safe out there!