I surely won't be the first or the last to lament the sorry state of New Mexico drivers, but a brief hiatus from arguably the worst aspect of the Land of Enchantment has prompted me to speak up.
As an El Paso native, I have grown up with many bad drivers. But, even a brief drive through Ju†rez during winter break just didn't compare to the experience of navigating Albuquerque streets that has been made even more dicey thanks to splashes of random orange cones that create a veritable obstacle course.
By far the biggest problem is the sheer inconsistency encountered when venturing out. You have your slow drivers, your angry drivers, your fast drivers, your erratic drivers and your clueless drivers - a great recipe for fun during rush hour. All of these drivers, of course, feel free to cut anyone off and slow down once in front of you, adding insult to the inconvenience.
One of the first things I figured out that still drives me nuts is that I should disable the turn signal on my car because it's clear most other people have, ignoring the basic idea of indicating to other drivers what you plan to do next.
On the interstate in most other places, fast drivers move to the inside lane, while those moving slower or about to exit steer to the outside. Not so in New Mexico, where everyone does whatever they want. Such independence is admirable in other areas, but has no business on the freeway.
Whenever possible, I try to let people into my lane and appreciate it whenever another driver is nice enough to return the favor. I acknowledge this with a simple wave - the unspoken language of drivers grateful for a break. Unfortunately, many New Mexicans seem to only be familiar with the trademark hands in the air sign of disgust or the middle finger salute borrowed from happy-go-lucky New Yorkers.
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The bottom line is that all the New Mexico driving jokes are great for a laugh, but it's much tougher to swallow when someone gets hurt because people refuse to acknowledge that they have to share the road with others.
Iliana Lim¢n
Editor in chief
