I guess I'm just invisible today

I've been riding my scooter in to work for about a month (with days off for rain) and it feels great. But one thing I notice, just as any bicyclist or motorcyclist will tell you, is that you have to act as if car and truck drivers don't see you. It's a good defensive plan but it's still frustrating when people really act like that. Today was one of those days.

There were the usual number of people on their cell phones that would probably not see you if you were driving a bus. But today, it was everyone. Mostly, it's people pulling out onto the road - right in front of you. But I saw them and since I was assuming they were going to pull out in front of me, I was prepared. But there is only so far this can go. You can't afford to be watching the other people all of the time. There are other things to look out for, too, and you can't slow down for every car and truck that looks like it might pull onto the road. So, you just do the best you can. A car or truck at an intersection will always draw my attention. But often, there are a few of them at different distances. Needing to stay on the alert all the time can be tiring but you have to remain vigilant. Getting too comfortable or letting your attention wander can be fatal.

That's why I'm pretty pleased with myself today. I got to work safely and so did the people who cut in front of me. I hope they continue to make their mistakes around people who are alert and ready to handle their poor driving. And I hope they didn't hear the things I yelled at them from inside my insulated helmet.