Alright, Helena High students. We have a beef to settle. We need to talk about a very specific intersection that is the absolute bane of my existence. To specify, it is the Capital City exit coming in from Montana City. Living out in that direction, I drive this exit every weekday to get to school, and I’ve come to one conclusion: high schoolers are all absolute imbeciles, and absolutely none of us can drive.

For those of you who are not familiar, let me explain this one intersection in slightly more detail. It’s a stereotypical exit, with one lane from the interstate branching into three, the right of which turns right, and the middle and left of which turn left. The left lane is my entire problem with this intersection because some  people think that it’s quicker to take this lane and cut the middle lane off. It is, but it’s also an absolute jerk move. If you go to Helena High coming in from that direction, then you know fully well that you have to end up in the farthest right lane on Prospect to turn to HHS. This means that, without cutting anyone off, you have to take the middle lane of that intersection, and then move into the right lane at the given opportunity shortly after.

But no.

Instead, you all have decided that you’re going to be Lightning McQueen, except not as fun and much more inconsiderate. It will take you legitimately maybe ten more seconds total to do it the right way, and I’m sure that your teacher will not care if you’re ten seconds later than you were before. That brings up a whole different topic of morning preparedness in high schoolers that I will spare you all the pain of going into. Either way, you all are discourteous and have failed the low expectations of your drivers ed teachers.  

This isn’t even the worst part. In the spring this business isn’t dangerous, just annoying. However, Montana winters change things, especially on this exit. There is ice. It is slippery. Many of us are broke and don’t have snow tires. Why are you people still doing this? It’s going to result in a wreck and that’s going to make you even later for school? Why take the chance of getting in a fender bender when you can literally make a two second decision to get in the right lane in the first place like a good, law-abiding citizen?

In conclusion, take the middle lane at the Capitol City exit if you get to school in the morning that way. It might be ten seconds slower (gasp) but it lessens your chances of getting into an accident, and keeps you from being the stereotypical high schooler that can’t drive that everyone hates. Instead of cutting people off at this specific intersection every morning, be courteous to your fellow drivers. I know this article won’t probably change anything, but at least give it some thought. Thank you for coming to my TED talk, and have a safe drive to school tomorrow.