I am probably way overdue for my annual diatribe on driving and bad drivers. You know, the one where I write about people driving too fast, not stopping at stop signs, not slowing down at roundabouts and driving while looking at their phones, or otherwise distracted.

You know, I generally have about one column a year devoted to that topic. Not that I keep track, but it just seems like once a year I just get going on that subject.

So here it is again. Usually something triggers it, like I almost get hit on my six-block drive to work. Or I narrowly escape some accident going through one of the roundabouts, mainly because other drivers don’t know the rules of a roundabout.

My columns in the past don’t seem to have made a big difference, but at least I feel a little better having written them and getting my old man frustration off my chest.

This time those same feelings triggered my need to write about driving, but so did something else.

A letter to the editor this week.

The letter can be found elsewhere on this page, and it is from a Mr. Jason Nickerson of Truman. What the letter does not say is that having a letter published in two different local newspapers was part of his sentencing for his part in an accident he talks about in the letter, and the fact that a person died as a result.

I can’t hardly even imagine the heart ache and pain of that fact, that will be impossible to ever forget, as Mr. Nickerson notes.

Then almost the same day that I received the letter, a good friend is involved in a fender bender in Blue Earth (well, it bent more than just a fender) but no one was badly hurt. And that same day I get word that another good friend, from out of state, had flown in to Minneapolis, rented a car, and was on his way to Mankato when he was involved in an accident on Highway 169 near St. Peter.

He was injured in the accident and was taken to the hospital and is still there.

I won’t go into details on what happened, mainly because I am not sure. And because it doesn’t really matter.

My point is that there is a lot of traffic out there, and not everyone is being cautious or paying attention to what they are doing.

I always try to. I always try to drive defensively. That means keeping my eye on the other drivers. I always think that guy up ahead is going to pull out in front of me, or not stop at the stop sign, run the red light or do something else weird.

I learned that the hard way, being involved in several bad crashes way back when I was a young man. None of them were my fault, but that doesn’t matter. Once a person crossed over into my lane and hit me almost head on, except I had veered to the right just as it happened. Another time a farm truck ran a red light and crunched into the side of my car. Another time a driver was passing a semi around a curve and was suddenly coming towards me in my lane and I was forced to take to the ditch.

Miraculously I was not hurt in any of these accidents, but I was young and tough. But also fairly dumb as I don’t think I was wearing a seat belt in any of them.

And just last summer a car pulled out onto the highway in front of us, headed towards us, in our lane, not the other lane he was supposed to be in.

I also learned about defensive driving 35 years ago or so when I took a nearly three day motorcycle riding class to get my cycle license.

The instructor warned us several times to always be alert and to always expect the other drivers to not see us and to do things like pull out right in front of us. He was right. Drivers often did exactly that.

But, to be honest, I still think drivers are getting worse. I blame it on the fact that everyone seems to be in a hurry to get to wherever they are going. They don’t want to go slow, they don’t want to stop, even at stop signs. Or when there is someone who is wanting to cross the street. Or is backing out of a parking spot.

So my advice, such as it is, is that we should all slow down a bit and enjoy the drive, and be a courteous driver. Share the road.

And that means no honking, accelerating or nasty looks… and for Pete’s sake, keep an eye out for those motorcyclists.