Monday, October 6, 2008

My Fault, Up Yours

Driving in Belgium. Where does one begin? I suppose with a one-word description: madness. Seriously, every time I make it home safely, it's a religious experience. I really don't understand why Belgians are so rude on the road. They're nice people, but they seem to think that courteous driving practices like keeping intersections clear or allowing another driver a moment to move out of their lane will cause the universe to implode or something.

Rather than fighting against the madness, sometimes you just have to go with it. I still try to allow people to merge, especially if they make the strenuous effort to use their blinker, but there is one important Belgian driving strategy I've learned and will readily use when necessary. When you do something wrong and/or stupid, like go forward in a left turn lane, don't apologize to the guy honking his horn. Get mad. Gesticulate wildly and shout. It doesn't matter if the other drivers can't hear you. The more serious the infraction, the more animated the gesticulations need to be. The point is to make the other drivers think THEY are the ones who've done something wrong. By the time they realize YOU'RE the idiot, you'll be long gone. Brilliant! Give it a try. If executed properly, it works every time. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

SPOT ON! (but I'm trying to refrain from complaining:it makes me feel even worse).

Anonymous said...

The Belgians are NEVER in a hurry until they get behind the wheel of a car. Then, they magically transform themselves into F1 race-car drivers (in their own mind) like Lewis Hamilton or Michael Schumacher!