Chacos: When your car’s license plate stands out in a crowd

Since I didn’t see the four-way stop sign, I passed without slowing down or stopping. Someone to my left honked his car horn so passionately I thought I was the star of a stupid Hallmark movie. I slammed on the brakes before hitting a pedestrian at the crosswalk, and then continued hesitantly through the intersection, waving apologetically in all four cardinal directions.

I was stunned at my mistake because I had good eyesight for my age and should have seen plenty of clues to stop. But I had a valid excuse. I was a stranger in a foreign land.

The people I cut off might have taken my oversight at face value, but as I drove away they saw my car was tattooed with out-of-state license plates. I knew it was the devil’s sign because when I looked in the rearview mirror I saw one driver snapping at me and the others shaking their heads in disgust. Just two states away from this four-way debacle, my license plate received no sympathy from the locals I nearly destroyed. I’m ashamed to admit that I would have reacted the same way.

We all need to share our roads graciously because they are a public good paid for by the taxes we give to our government. We allow day trippers to cross state lines in the fall to peep at leaves, and we allow others to travel to break bread with extended family during the holidays.

We also feel helpful when we host tourists in many of our regions. ski resorts or Visit historic sites in remote corners of the Mountain West. This gives us the income we need to tackle our local to-do list. Some communities want new sidewalks and more bike lanes. others want a new hospital or a better airport. Tourists should receive our heartfelt thanks. Whether we like it or not, we need out-of-state visitors.

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It could be argued that drivers who are not accustomed to our roads are being unfairly blamed. They don’t know the quirks that hide in plain sight. Commuters will cruise at 60 miles per hour, and a driver with a foreign license plate will slow down wildly as they are swallowed by a Rhode Island-sized pothole that local drivers know to avoid. Now it’s easy to blame a tourist for the line of cars braking half a mile behind. Added morning commute delay. It’s not actually the tourists’ fault that the hole was never repaired.

In my quaint town, most visitors don’t know about this. green electrical box He lives near the exit of our grocery store. It appeared a few years ago and refuses to move. The box blocks oncoming cars so dramatically that it has become a popular topic of conversation at parties.

Those in the know prefer to take the long route or try their luck by squealing their tires and shooting recklessly. Out-of-town drivers stand stunned in front of the box for minutes until they are in the middle of oncoming traffic. It’s not fair to blame an out-of-state license plate for this poorly placed electrical box.

On the other hand, one could argue that out-of-state drivers rightfully deserve all the anger, dirty looks, and rude hand gestures thrown their way. The erratically paced driver who camps out in the left lane and flashes pointlessly to nowhere is often fitted with an out-of-state license plate. They are the ones who stand idle in the middle of a main road to look at the seasons. deer migration.

Once you start paying attention, out-of-state license plates are usually the ones to look for. I’m clearly forgetting how to zipper join.drive like a caffeinated toddler complex intersectionsand it takes too long to pump gas to the local station because they are inside and asking for directions.

Looking for out-of-state license plates has become my adult car-spotting game. It’s similar to the game “Punch Buggy” I played in the backseat of my parents’ car as a kid. Being the first sibling to spot the Volkswagen Beetle gave you permission to yell and punch the other. The game was exciting.

As an adult, looking up out-of-state license plates and yelling a driver’s terrible mistakes to no one in particular is the relief I need. I’m always filled with a colorful vocabulary when driving locally. Safe, satisfying and fun.

If I enter your town with an out-of-state license plate and blindly run my car through a poorly placed four-way stop sign, I’ll be prepared for your anger. It’s worth the heat to see gorgeous sunsets, spot wild animals, and spend time with extended family in a faraway land.

Andrea Chacos lives in Carbondale, balancing her job and happily raising her three children with her husband. With a little passion, a little humor and a little talent, he tries to escape the tough obstacles that life loves to do.