It’s been a very long time since I took a test to obtain my driver’s license. I remember studying a driver’s education booklet before taking the written test which I passed on my first go. It was only a few weeks after my 16th birthday that I successfully completed the driving portion of the testing to become a full-fledged member of the driving public.

At that time, the West Virginia State Police held testing at their location in Triadelphia (that site no longer exists). My older brother, Herk, took me to take my driving test in the family’s station wagon. When I think about that car and the smaller vehicles I have driven since, I can hardly believe that I was able to parallel park that beast on my first try.

I have been driving for a lot of years. And I am constantly amazed and sometimes dazed by what I have witnessed driving around our Ohio Valley. I do not understand why some drivers cannot turn on their headlights at dusk or when it is raining as mandated by state law.

Today’s newer vehicles nearly all offer the option of automatic lights. However, I’m not a fan of the automatic bright lights feature. I have found that it just doesn’t work properly on country roads that are without yellow lines.

There are so many distractions for both drivers and pedestrians these days. Have you noticed that members of the walking or jogging public often are wearing headphones? They don’t always notice that there are vehicles approaching when they are in the roadway. If you accidentally strike one of these in-the-road pedestrians, you as the driver will most likely be looked on as the villain.

Don’t get me started on the amount of distractions hanging from rear view mirrors and windshields. Law enforcement officers will tell you this is not a good idea.

My latest beef while behind the wheel involves flashing traffic lights. If, for some reason, traffic lights aren’t working properly at a given intersection, it appears a majority of drivers have no clue what to do. I thought that was taught in the driver’s ed materials.

Let me refresh your memories. A flashing red light in your lane of travel means you must stop. A flashing yellow light means you should approach the intersection with caution.

If there are no lights due to a power outage, an intersection should be treated as a four-way stop. I can tell you that this part of driver’s education has gone out the window in many cases.

Ok, my ranting is over. I’m sure there are plenty more things that bug you when you are driving. Feel free to email me your thoughts. Just don’t do it while you are driving!

Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.