Michael Galler Week 4: Driving with Floridians

    On my way home from the Shabbaton last night, we decided to take the turnpike home. If we left 15 seconds earlier, I might have been seriously injured. A massive car accident occurred right in front of my mother, my brother, and me. 3 cars were stopped directly in front of exit 81, including 1 car that had crashed head-first into the outside wall. The car almost went into the exit. Our car had to slow to a crawl to avoid all the debris that was spread out. Many tiny car pieces were everywhere, including the entire hood of a car and someone’s license plate. There was even an entire rug rolled up on the floor, which still baffles me how it even ended up there. It made me wonder why drivers in Florida are so awful compared to other states.  The number of car accidents and fatalities from accidents is disproportionately higher in Florida than in the USA. Florida drivers are commonly considered the worst in the world, which makes me concerned about driving myself. I’m going to get my license in April of 2023, and I am very nervous about driving on the same roads as some of these people. I don’t know about you, but I have no interest in getting into a massive accident on the highway. My grandpa worked as a professional trucker for his entire career, and he continuously assures me that driving is not that difficult. It doesn’t help my confidence that he points out every single mistake he sees another driver makes, and he points out a lot of mistakes. Are you nervous about driving in Florida?