Is Covid-19 turning good drivers into Sunday drivers? For those unfamiliar with that term “Sunday Drivers” for me, it refers to those people who only drive once a week, mainly Sunday. It is extremely each to forget all those tiny details drivers (those who drive almost every day) do without thinking. And now that many are still working from home, and more retired people only go out to shop, things are getting worse from what I see. These observations are not just recent, yet the frequency they occur right before my eyes are frighting me. Allow me to shed some examples.

When stopped at a red light, I notice more and more people who fail to see the Green. By the time they engage their brain, maybe two or three cars can get across on that light. But what gets me even more upset, it that the vehicle right behind them fails to toot their horn. No need to press the horn for a few seconds, just a light tap. We all get distracted every now and them. A polite reminder almost always gets a thumbs up as a “Thank You”.

Shopping lot parking and reversing. As a youngster, I was told when reversing to turn the head almost backwards as one reverses. Never saw the logic of this, as I always prefer to use the mirrors. Was delighted when the right side mirror became standard. Now, many vehicles have a camera in the rear, making it much easier to parallel park, or park inform of a parked vehicle when reversing. But I digress. To me, in a shopping lot, driving in or backing into the spot is the same level of ease. Yet, many people are totally uncomfortable reversing. The biggest problem is not turning the wheel when reversing out of the parked slot, or just barely turning the wheel. Hate to admit this, this is mostly common with seniors (and not all seniors — as I am one myself). Believe it is poor driving habits, and the ability to learn from their mistakes. But, if it is not pointed out, how does one learn from it. Get the picture. Also, there is no gender difference in what I have observed.

I could go on and on with silly things I notice, but my final one for now is the use of the turn signal. Was taught to indicate my turn when approaching a stop light or sign a few seconds before, allowing those behind me to know my intention, especially if there is more than one lane each way. Those who turn their signal light on as they start their turn get a loud horn from me. I could have avoided being stuck behind them and often miss my light. As they glance at my direction after completing their turn, I could see the expression on their face, “what did I do wrong”. I just shake my head as there in no time for any explanation, just hope if more give them the same message, they might inquire what they are doing wrong, Mindblower!