Based on my commute to work this morning (and taking the kids to school/daycare), I have a couple of tips for Austin area drivers:
- For those of you driving east on Oltorf, just before Pleasant Valley, it’s generally a good idea to take a glance to your left before changing lanes from the right lane. There might be another car in that lane and you don’t want to force them into the center lane and give them a mild heart attack.
- For those of you driving north on San Antonio from Cesar Chavez, the people travelling west on 3rd street don’t have a stop sign. You do. I know it’s a novel thing to be able to travel north on that particular section of San Antonio, but try not to let your excitement cloud your judgement. It’s a lucky thing that some of those people on third are already leery of other drivers after having almost been sideswiped 15 minutes earlier.
I’d also advise that if you happen to notice one of your tires is showing steel on the inside tread, it’s probably a good idea to go ahead and get that replaced right away. Best to do it as soon as you notice it as opposed to waiting through an entire workday, going home and having dinner, and then coming back out to the car to go get your mother from the airport, only to find that the aforementioned tire is now completely flat.
Finally, what is up with equipping cars with tires that cost ridiculous amounts of money? Is there a reason why my 5-year-old, $16,000 Mazda Protege comes with tires that cost $150 each and seem to be pretty difficult to find? Sure, these two lasted 5 years (the others were replaced for the same odd wear pattern 18 months ago), which isn’t too bad for a tire, but it’s not like I’m driving a Porsche or something.