_Kurtis Dunlap is a fifth-year senior at MU. He is an English major. He writes about student life as an opinion columnist for The Maneater._
As of 2014, Columbia had 116,906 people living in the city limits. From my multiple years of experience driving in Columbia, I am convinced that 116,905 people don’t know how to drive.
It is the 11th week of the semester, so by now, you have gotten a feel for the city and most likely have experienced how awful the drivers are. You know that from about 4:30 p.m. until about 6 p.m., the traffic around campus is brutal. Traffic on Stadium Boulevard, College Avenue and Providence Road is usually stop-and-go and should be avoided at all costs.
I don’t know what it is about this town, but I drive 900 miles home across six states and don’t encounter the stupidity that comes out of people here. From things like forgetting how a four-way stop works to not halting at a flashing red light, the people of Columbia just fail when it comes to the basic rules of the road.
When coming up to a green light, I have had people slam on their brakes in front of me for no reason at all. I have also seen people run through red lights far beyond them being able to claim it was still yellow. I have been behind people at red lights, and they take their sweet time when the light turns green. I don’t think there is anything more frustrating when I am driving than someone taking their sweet time when the light changes.
Another thing Columbia drivers just don’t understand is the different speed limits around town.
South Providence Road, going towards Nifong Boulevard, is 50 mph. After the light at the bottom of the hill, it turns into 55 mph. If I had a dollar for every person I have gotten behind that has gone 40 mph on that road, let’s just say I wouldn’t have any student debt when I graduate.
Signalling that you are going to turn left and then going right or just not signalling at all are some of the things Columbia brings out in people. Car manufacturers put something called a turn signal in cars, not because it is a fancy amenity, but because the government requires them to. Just like they require you to use it.
How can Columbia fix the problem of its inadequate drivers?
Every teenage driver should take driver’s education. Right now, Missouri law doesn’t require teenagers applying for their first driver’s license to take driver’s education. Requiring this would mandate that the future drivers of Columbia will at least get some sort of professional training and not succumb to the awful habits of their parents.
Unfortunately, I don’t think anything is going to change because everyone who lives in Columbia are all subpar drivers and are oblivious to that fact. You might have heard the saying “if everyone is special, no one is.” Well, it goes for Columbia’s drivers too. “If they all suck, none of them suck.” Or at least that’s the mentality.
For me, the one person in Columbia who is a great driver, I just have to hope that on my way home, the person signalling they are going to turn left actually turns left.