Something about the RAIN

I don't know what it is about the rain, but it seems to bring the STUPID out of people. Here in Atlanta, I've been given the opportunity to view an exceptional amount of rain that has caused people to have to deal with wet driving conditions for more than just a little while. It seems that the thin coat of driving intelligence is sitting on the hood of the car waiting for that clorox bleach we call rain to wash it away. My latest couple of incidents include some interesting reading: Driving through intersection with blinking red lights - I know this seems to be an easy thing to understand: You stop just like a 4-way stop. It's not that hard, but you may be suprised at how many people just start driving through like they own the road and cause an accident and be upset because you were in THEIR way. Waiting until the last second to hit the brakes - Here's an idea... slow down earlier. I mean, I'm no physicist, but I do understand the principle of hydroplaneing. Hydroplaneing usually happens when you are going too fast down the road to the point where your vehicle comes up off the road and the tires are actually sitting on top of the water. Conversly, when someone slams on the brakes the same thing can happen as the tires are no longer slicing through the water but skipping across the water reducing the effectiveness of your brakes. Even with anti-lock brakes you still have an increased amount of stopping distance when the road is wet. So please, with enthusiasm, try stopping earlier. Driving without your lights on - We all know the rule: if you turn on your wipers you need to turn on your headlights. It's simple. Most vehicles are starting to have DRL (Daytime RUnning Lights) that seems to pacify the police officials for the most part, but it doesn't replace the need to turn on your headlights. Because just because your DRL are on doesn't mean your taillights are on. It can be a hard thing when the rain is pouring down and you can barely see ahead of you only to see the sudden hit of brake lights that weren't seen in advance that would have been seen with the taillights on correctly. Again, people just need to think about the rules and follow them. I know it's a short list and I'm sure there are hundreds of stupid things that people like to do when it starts to rain, but these are my rants, so put some of your own up on yours.