Yes Virginia, It Could Be Worse

A final note on driving, and then I shall move on to other subjects. Well, at least until winter arrives. Seattle plus snow will provide a plethora of stories. One final peeve that Annette and I often talk about (and Bryan commented on) is cars entering the freeway at 40 MPH. The idea of an on-ramp is to be up to speed (60-70 MPH) by the time one reaches the freeway proper. This provides for a smooth merge.

Although the slow 40 MPH entry is frustrating, it could be worse. My ship was home ported in Virginia (often referred to as the State of Confusion). I and many of my shipmates from out of state narrowly escaped many rear-end collisions. When Virginians on an on-ramp reach the freeway proper, they actually STOP! They then look back to see if cars are coming and then enter the freeway. Many times I would be coming up the cloverleaf-type on-ramp approaching 60 MPH only to find a Virginian stopped waiting for the cars on the freeway to go by. After a few screeching slides onto the shoulder, I soon learned the Virginian system. Most everyone in my division had similar experiences, but fortunately we all survived.