Long Island Drivers...Funny!
For those of you on the rough roads of Long Island everyday and a reminder
for those of you who no longer live there (or never did) but want to
visit.....know the rules before getting behind the wheel:
1. A right-lane construction closure is just a game to see how many
people can cut in line by passing you on the right as you sit in the
left lane waiting for the same drivers to squeeze their way back in
before hitting the orange construction barrels.
2. Turn signals will give away your next move. A real Long Island
driver never uses them. Use of them in Massapequa may be illegal.
3. Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between
you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by
somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation.
4. Crossing two or more lanes in a single lane-change is considered
'going with the flow.'
5. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance
you have of getting hit.
6. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive
bodywork.
7. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that
your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake
pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to
stretch your legs.
8. Construction signs warn you about road closures immediately after
you pass the last exit before the backup.
9. Electronic traffic warning signs are not there to provide useful
information. They are only there to make Long Island look high-tech,
and to distract you from seeing the state police radar car parked on
the median.
10. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right.
11. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as suggestions,
and are apparently not enforceable during rush hour.
12. Just because you're in the left lane and have no room to speed up
or move over doesn't mean that a Long Island driver flashing his high
beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.
13. Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident, or even
if someone is just changing a tire.
14. Throwing litter on the roads adds color to the landscape and
gives Adopt-a-Highway crews something to clean up.
15. It is assumed that state police cars passing at high speed may be
followed in the event you need to make up a few minutes on your way
to work, or the beach.
16. Learn to swerve abruptly. Long Island is the home of high-speed
slalom driving thanks to potholes.
17. It is traditional in Long Island to honk your horn at cars that
don't move the instant the light changes.
18. Seeking eye contact with another driver revokes your right of
way, except in Garden City where it acts as an invitation to duel or
play chicken.
19. Never take a green light at face value. Always look right and
left before proceeding. In Long Island it is common to stop and then
decide which direction to turn.
20. Remember that the goal of every Long Island driver is to get
there first, by whatever means necessary.
21. Real Long Island female drivers can put on pantyhose, apply eye
makeup, and balance the checkbook at seventy-five miles per hour,
during a snowstorm in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
22. Real Long Island male drivers can take off pantyhose, unsnap a bra
with one flick of their wrist at seventy-five miles per hour during a
snowstorm in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
23. Heavy snow, ice, fog, and rain are no reasons to change any of
the previously listed rules. These weather conditions are God's way
of insuring a natural selection process for body shops, junkyards,
and new vehicle sales.
for those of you who no longer live there (or never did) but want to
visit.....know the rules before getting behind the wheel:
1. A right-lane construction closure is just a game to see how many
people can cut in line by passing you on the right as you sit in the
left lane waiting for the same drivers to squeeze their way back in
before hitting the orange construction barrels.
2. Turn signals will give away your next move. A real Long Island
driver never uses them. Use of them in Massapequa may be illegal.
3. Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between
you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by
somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation.
4. Crossing two or more lanes in a single lane-change is considered
'going with the flow.'
5. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance
you have of getting hit.
6. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive
bodywork.
7. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that
your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake
pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to
stretch your legs.
8. Construction signs warn you about road closures immediately after
you pass the last exit before the backup.
9. Electronic traffic warning signs are not there to provide useful
information. They are only there to make Long Island look high-tech,
and to distract you from seeing the state police radar car parked on
the median.
10. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right.
11. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as suggestions,
and are apparently not enforceable during rush hour.
12. Just because you're in the left lane and have no room to speed up
or move over doesn't mean that a Long Island driver flashing his high
beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.
13. Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident, or even
if someone is just changing a tire.
14. Throwing litter on the roads adds color to the landscape and
gives Adopt-a-Highway crews something to clean up.
15. It is assumed that state police cars passing at high speed may be
followed in the event you need to make up a few minutes on your way
to work, or the beach.
16. Learn to swerve abruptly. Long Island is the home of high-speed
slalom driving thanks to potholes.
17. It is traditional in Long Island to honk your horn at cars that
don't move the instant the light changes.
18. Seeking eye contact with another driver revokes your right of
way, except in Garden City where it acts as an invitation to duel or
play chicken.
19. Never take a green light at face value. Always look right and
left before proceeding. In Long Island it is common to stop and then
decide which direction to turn.
20. Remember that the goal of every Long Island driver is to get
there first, by whatever means necessary.
21. Real Long Island female drivers can put on pantyhose, apply eye
makeup, and balance the checkbook at seventy-five miles per hour,
during a snowstorm in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
22. Real Long Island male drivers can take off pantyhose, unsnap a bra
with one flick of their wrist at seventy-five miles per hour during a
snowstorm in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
23. Heavy snow, ice, fog, and rain are no reasons to change any of
the previously listed rules. These weather conditions are God's way
of insuring a natural selection process for body shops, junkyards,
and new vehicle sales.
