Taxi Drivers vs Learner Drivers

Taxi drivers go to hell!

Well they should!

Okay, maybe they shouldn't, I'm just really angry. Taxi Drivers are probably really good people, nice family guys, do their bit for society and what not... when they are not driving taxis of course (I'm not being sarcastic by the way. No, seriously, I'm not. Hey, for all we know it could all be true okay... *shoulder shrug*). But, on the road, they truly are demons. So, maybe I shouldn't say 'demons' 'cause that may be 'politically incorrect', but can you honestly disagree with me here? And I'm not trying to bring religion into things (though I can see how that might be thought what with my hell references and now the whole demon thing...)

Anyhoo, I digress. To get back on point, taxi drivers simply make driving for everyone else TORTURE! We basically put our lives at risk every time we go out onto the roads with taxi drivers.

Okay, so I may be completely angry at the moment, which is why all these rants are just flowing out, but I'm pretty sure most people (if not all people, excluding taxi drivers themselves) feel the same way.
To put you guys in that frame of mind where you just want to sit on your hooter, scream your lungs out in your car, even use 'languages' that normally make your ears burn or even reach the point where you want to just stop your car in the middle of the road, pull out a cricket bat and 'go at' the offending party... let me share my story with you...

The reason why I'm in such a dandy mood... 

So, I'm driving to work this morning. Around 7:00 AM. (And, just to make sure its known, I've got a big red "L" learner sign at the top left hand corner of the back window of the car,  clearly visible.) I reach a robot. Its red, so I stop. I intend to turn right at the robot, so I have my right indicator on. This specific robot has a filter arrow for motorists turning right. I know this. And I'm ready to go the moment it turns green. The opposing robot has turned red so I'm ready to go. I've got my foot off my brake and am slowly inching forward but the robot is still red and as  I do not want to break any laws I wait. The taxi driver behind me, who has been sitting right on my tail, suddenly HOOTS! Startling me. I jerk the car and lose my balance and have to regain it and then go on. (As mentioned, I'm a learner driver, so don't class my driving skills okay, I'm learning, and I'm not so bad anymore, its just awkward situations that still 'challenge' me). Also, the sign is there so people should be cautious and patient! Not make the learner driver more anxious.

Anyhoo, I'm still getting over that situation as I turn right into the next road when another taxi driver SUDDENLY pulls into the road from a driveway on the left. I had to swing to the right and around to avoid being smashed! My sister, sitting in the front passenger seat (which is on the left in South Africa), saw her life flash before her eyes! (I might have caught a glimpse of it too). Thank goodness there were no cars near to me on the right hand lane *swhew*. I am now livid. This is so NOT what I need before getting to work in the morning. But I get back onto the left lane and journey on...

As you continue down the road there is a taxi stop on the left. So you're aware that taxis will be making a stop here so you slacken your speed and drive by slowly and with more caution as taxis will be turning in here... However, the taxis will NOT turn in there and stop to let passengers off or on. NOOOO! They angle the taxi slightly into the space leaving the rest on the taxi pretty much full on on the left obstructing the lane completely. So in peak traffic, you now have to try and get a gap in the non ending line of cars on the right lane to get around the taxi. You've basically got to come to a complete stop and wait to get a gap, make a gap or wait for someone to feel bad enough for you that they create a gap for you or just wait till the taxi finally decides to be done and move! Seriously annoying! A whole space designated FOR them just to stop off and STILL they REFUSE to use it and make everyone else's life difficult!

After somehow making my way out of and around that situation I then find myself behind another two taxis. An extra lane opens out on the left. I need to get onto that lane for where I need to go, and I need to do it quick before there are too many cars on that lane and traffic gets hectically intense. But these two taxis decide to cruise. Huge gaps in front of them, but they're not even crawling! And so I miss my chance to get onto the left lane!

If the common driver were to do these things around a taxi driver you can bet on it that the taxi driver is gonna be sitting on his hooter, swearing you, and might even get out to swear you and wouldn't think twice about knocking your car. But we've got to just shut our mouths and take all their nonsense! Extremely frustrating! And something everyone knows, a dozen traffic cops will be sitting around waiting to catch you and give you a speeding ticket for going 61 in a 60 zone at every corner, but you'll never find one around when a taxi is awol.

So that's pretty much why I'm in such a mood about taxi drivers. Just put me in such a bad mood before I even got to work.

Making the title of this post seem less pointless

BUT, to tie this in with the title of this post (seen as all I've done up until this point is rant and rave and not mention anything related to the post title)... I previously wrote a post "Diary of a Learner Driver" and basically listed a bunch of things that should be gotten rid of in order to make driving life easier. Taxi drivers/taxis were first on that list and I said that they should simply be banned. I'm obviously going to stick to that view. Out of everything on that list, taxi drivers have got to be the most hazardous.

Learner drivers are bad. I know. I'm bad. Not as bad as I used to be, so I now understand more why people hate learner drivers so much. We can be a bit much to deal with. Stalling anywhere and everywhere without warning. Taking FOREVER to take off. Rolling. Cruising on an incline thus making my poor car with its little engine suffer. Keeping to speed limits. Parking poorly. And the list probably goes on (and on). However, no one can say that none of the above does not still happen to them on the rare occasion, even the most experienced of drivers I'm sure. And learner drivers do come with a warning. Also, you were all learner drivers at some stage so you can give us guys a little lee way and be understanding to our situation, unless of course the learner driver is being a COMPLETE idiot, like busy looking at and talking to the passenger on the left instead of focusing on the road (happened to me, stuck behind a tool of a learner driver). If you're learning how to drive, then pay attention and learn! But, yeah, other than that, learner drivers aren't completely bad... right?

On the whole

Learner drivers may be seriously annoying and frustrating, and maybe also a little dangerous on roads, but they are nowhere near as dangerous as taxi drivers. Taxi drivers are also rather obnoxious, and selfish, thinking they own the road and are entitled to do as they please. And, I don't know the stats, but I'd definitely say that more accidents are caused due to taxi drivers/taxis than learner drivers. 

I cannot wait for the day when taxis (the kombies) are done away. A taxi free world... Ah *sigh* (looks off into the distance).

Diary of a learner driver

When you're learning to drive you're nervous as hell with just the thought of going out onto the road and actually staying between the white lines and not smashing any curbs or anything. And you have to know where all the gadgets in the car are and when and how to appropriately use them. THEN you have to deal with the added pressure of OTHER CARS on the roads! And basically being able to drive properly without meeting in any accidents or endangering the lives of anyone on the road, AND most especially NOT PISSING OFF OTHER DRIVERS.

Come on, you've all been a learner driver at some stage in your life. And most of you were nervous and took some getting used to it... (not including those random freaks of nature to whom driving just comes naturally *insert rolling eyes face*).

So you know what it's like to get onto the road and face all the other cars, drivers, pedestrians, robots, road signs, yield signs, parking... and so on and so forth... Its SCARY!(And you also know the feeling of setting off on your journey and making it to your destination hassle free :) - there is something to look forward to).
So basically, as a driver who's still learning how to deal with, um, well, everything... Here's a few things that just really make life difficult, and sorting these things out would just be oh so helpful and would certainly make life so much easier...

• Taxi drivers - need to be banned! They are just about the worst things on the road (and in life in general). They DO NOT follow ANY rules whatsoever. They live in a land of their own where they are the rulers and everyone bows to them or suffers. EXPERIENCED drivers find them hell to deal with, so imagine how learner drivers feel?! When I was driving once, a taxi driver up front just suddenly started reversing! I panicked like death and was seriously shaken up a while afterwards. He could have killed me! So seriously, taxi drivers are just pure evil and need to go (unless they're going to start following the laws of the land and stop making up their own).
• Pedestrians are DUMB! Seriously! The bane of existence. I actually don't know if they're AS bad as taxi drivers or WORSE! 'The walking man has turned red and the big thing with lights on it (what we call a robot) has turned green, so of course it means we must walk across the road AND do so as slowly as possible!' Idiots! 'Ag, do I REALLY have to look left and right and then left again?! Screw this shit, I'm just running across the road and everything will be fine 'cause I'm superman!' Complete and utter morons! (PS: I know I am also a pedestrian too, but I know how to follow the rules, I don't think I'm immortal, and I think a car is way scarier than I am!)
• Potholes. Really, its hard enough having to not go too close to the curb or too far to the opposing lane, but now we've got to dodge potholes  Just great. Especially that feeling when you hit one! The government has money to waste on a whole ton of junk (not including the high scale parties). So is it so much to ask that they put the taxpayers money to good use by fixing the roads we use thus making driving more pleasant and less of a risk...
• Speed bumps! One of the stupidest inventions ever. I already hate having to change gears, speed bumps make me change more! And no matter how slow you go you still feel that lil boop, and it does NOT feel nice. Speed bumps also damage your car (or so I've heard) and really it's expensive enough owning a car and just paying for the daily running of it, we don't need any additional expenses. 
• Off ramps leading onto highways. It's seriously hard! Having to turn and check for a gap and enter the highway from the off ramp. Its just really terrifying and difficult! What if its super busy and trucks just keep coming one after the other and you're so scared you won't make it, so you just wait there and a ton of cars pile up behind you and they're all getting impatient and pissed off so they're honking and flashing and you just don't know WHAT to do?! (yes, it happened to me the other day). There should seriously be a lane that just goes on down straight from the off ramp entering onto the highway, so you can just stay on that lane and not be of any hindrance to anyone else. Doesn't that make sense? Doesn't it?!
• Yield signs. I really don't know whether to stop or go or what to really do here. I know the theory behind it, you slow down... check the road... if there's a car you stop, if no cars you go... But it just confuses the shizz outta me!
• All roads should be flat! I know this sounds insane, but think about it... It makes life with gear changing just so much simpler, you won't have to change as much! And the whole, when should I change, when shouldn't I problem is gone. When I'm going up on a bit of an incline I think I've got to stay in second gear, but then the car starts revving and the speedometer hits just over 40 and my mother's like "you can hear the car is suffering, you should change to third" and I'm like but I thought you go up a hill on second... Its just confusing! Also, you wouldn't have to worry about rolling... 
• And finally, all other drivers should just get off the road! I'm sorry, but I think I'm a pretty decent driver, until another car gets on the road with me... Then I just start panicking and freaking out and just lose it on the road. I am getting better, but these drivers just seriously don't help. I'll be driving along nicely, but keeping the speed limit 'cause I'm still learning how to properly control the car... And traffic cops just happen to be ANYWHERE at any time and I really do not want to get a ticket or be stopped by a traffic cop, that is seriously the LAST thing I need to help my confidence as a driver. And then you get some impatient jerk behind me who just overtakes with an attitude and makes me so nervous! I'm sticking to the speed limit you douche! Shouldn't you be doing that too?! (Seriously, having a speed limit does absolutely NOTHING! I don't know of anyone, other than learner drivers, who keep to the limit...) Then you get those drivers who don't stop at stop streets, they dart across lanes without any warning... They drive too close to you... They don't use indicators... Don't know how a four way stop works... The list is ENDLESS! Simply put, drivers are completely selfish and think they're the only one's on the road! So they need to be gotten rid off. 

Basically, if all the above mentioned are seen to, I just might make it to be a good driver...