My sister, Christi, knows that I am in a perpetual snit about a guy who lives along a rural-ish road that we take in and out of our area. The road is not at all lit at night, and even during the day can pose some dangers because it is full of hills and curves. Once upon a time, one would have called it a country road, but the incredible growth in our county has really increased the amount of traffic that moves through there. As recently as 10 years ago, one random car moving in one direction was typical. Today, during peak hours in the morning, lunch and early evening, there is traffic moving in both directions, and it’s moving at a clip.
Cue Wheelchair Man. I’m not going to begrudge his mobility, or his penchant for 12 packs of BudLight. I think it’s wonderful that he has an independent spirit, and frankly, admire that he ventures out into the world on his own when he wants to get out of the house or go for a beer run at the convenience store a mile down the windy road and across the street from a major road.
But see, that’s where I begin to have a problem: the 12 pack of beer that sits on his lap, or more often than not, he has consumed prior to getting on the road. I already think that sober (and not necessarily sane) he is a menace to drivers. There are no sidewalks in this area. One side of the road has houses, with run-off ditches and a very soft shoulder. The other side of the road is a ditch, and then woods. There is no real safe way for this guy to move, especially when it has rained (which never deters him). On the one hand, I am always fearful that he will take a tumble in front of me and I’ll hit him. On the other hand, I am fearful that he will somehow take a tumble and cause a car to veer and hit on-coming traffic. I would not be surprised to see him lying in a ditch one day.
Compound this with the fact that he does appear to be inebriated. I’ve seen him doing donuts in the middle of the ride, riding up and down the center stripe, and once, he decided it was going to be appropriate for him to dump used cooking oil across the street into someone else’s property. Yeah. That’s when I lost any sense of respect for him. He acts as if he is immune to any rules. And that pisses me off.
I wish I could issue him a citizen’s citation for Driving a Wheelchair While Intoxicated DWWI!