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November 2004
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I Don’t Want to Die in a Slovenian Roundabout, but (unfortunately) It’s Not My Choice to Make

Roundabout
This will probably be one of the last things I ever see.

I really don’t want to die in a Slovenian roundabout. Like you and
everyone else, I want to die with dignity. Maybe asleep in bed. Or
listening to music on the sofa. Or surrounded by loved ones. Definitely
not bleeding to death in an automotive wreck in a Godforsaken
roundabout. With the last thing I ever hear being some teenager in a Metallica shirt standing over me saying, "Woah, that was totally awesome!!! Did that fireball hurt? Are you okay?"

Of course I don’t want that. But it looks like I don’t have a
choice. The municipality recently opened two new roundabouts here, and
both of them are on my way to work. In other words: They’re
unavoidable. Previously, I had to go through just one to get to the
office. Now it’s three. Ergo: I’m going to spend my final moments on
Earth with my intestines tangled in the transmission.

If you’ve never driven in a Slovenian roundabout, crni has already beautifully and eloquently summed up the experience:

The proper way of entering a Slovenian roundabout is ramming in at full
speed. Do not look to your left to check for oncoming cars, they will
see this as a sign of weakness and intimidation. The speed limit has to
be exceeded by at least 50%. Once in the roundabout, keep pressing the
gas pedal until the centrifugal force makes you get out at a random
exit. It is irrelevant which exit you take, since you will be lost on
the next crossroads anyway.

What’s
odd is that Slovenes are generally respectful of traffic laws, but when
they enter a roundabout something snaps; they shake off the bonds of
civilization and become hogs of the road.
To show you what I mean, here are three things that happen to me on a
regular basis, and will probably lead to my eventual death: (I’m
assuming you know the rules of a roundabout. In the graphic, I’m
assuming that two cars enter the roundabout at the same time.)

cut off.jpg

1) "The Cut-Off"
What makes this maneuver so nasty is that the offending driver has to be extremely fast or else it’s hammertime.

scenic route.jpg

2) "Taking the Scenic Route"
By far the most
common maneuver, and the most annoying. I see this damn thing pretty
much every day. The beauty of it is that it manages to inconvenience
everybody simultaneously. People trying to enter and people trying to
exit are all blocked by some oblivious jerkface.

chaos.jpg

3) "Chaos Theory"
The deadliest of them all.
Some people just let go of the wheel in a roundabout and let nature
take its course. God protect me from them.

You’re probably wondering why I don’t find a new way to get to work
and thereby save my life. That’s a good question. My answer is that you
can’t cheat destiny. Even the ancient Greeks knew that. If you look
though the old legends, you’ll find plenty of characters who foresee
their own death, or foresee someone else’s death. And no matter what
they do or how they try to save themselves, fate always catches up with
them in the end. It is pointless to resist.

Posted on Tuesday, November 16, 2004 to Slovenia

Comments

  • 1

    one bike to rule them all…

    cars are for kids;()

         by cookie on November 16, 2004 at 8:52 am

  • 2

    Imagine going through this roundabout then.

         by BeeBee on November 16, 2004 at 9:13 am

  • 3

    Thanks for the props, Michael! Damn, I knew i should have updated my blog more regularly. Oh well, a chance at publicity missed.

    In the same token, I hope you did not mind a bit more trafic after I submitted your post about the Brittish tourists to cruel.com . It made the Cruel Site of the Day, which I did not quite expect. You are now forever basking in the glory and company of websites such as bonsaikitten.com , godhatesfags.com, KKK for Kids (similar) and the Porn Clerk Diaries.

    Congratulations!

    …and hope the bandwidth costs won’t bury you.

         by crni on November 16, 2004 at 6:06 pm

  • 4

    Sure, you’re brave to keep driving through Slovenian roundabouts. We appriciate it.

    You see, Slovenia isn’t only peaceful LOGS,
    it’s dangerous ROUNDABOUTS too.

    David

         by David on November 16, 2004 at 8:33 pm

  • 5

    hehehe, it’s exactly how you’ve put it. amusing reading thou.

         by Mark on November 16, 2004 at 8:47 pm

  • 6

    crni: You certainly unleashed a flood of traffic over the weekend — somewhere in the neighborhood of 7000+ hits, although I lost track at one point. I know it was enough to push me 200% over my bandwidth limit.. Luckily, my providers have been kind about such indiscretions in the past, and I’m hoping they won’t shut me down this time either.

    Still, like you said, it’s an honor to be in such distinguished company and, as such, well worth it. I think I’ve been visiting Cruel since the first days I went online… I never guessed I’d one day be on its receiving end. Many thanks!

         by Michael M. on November 16, 2004 at 11:21 pm

  • 7

    You write: “Slovenes are generally respectful of traffic laws”. I’m not convinced. Apart from overtaking on the inside being a NORMAL part of motorway driving I was once overtaken on BOTH sides on a SINGLE LANE road! And that’s not mentioning the use of plocniki to park, the normal sight of motorbikes on Slovenska cesta in LJ at over 100km/H and the not unusual sight of people unable to walk due to drink being helped to their car so they can get home. Apart from that though …
    I enjoy reading your site though i must say

    paul townend, siska

         by paul townend on November 17, 2004 at 11:15 am

  • 8

    well… …I see you haven’t been to south Italy… :DDD

         by zok on November 17, 2004 at 11:52 am

  • 9

    This is quite useful public information. I will forward this to the New Jersey Dept of Transportation. They are updating their Driving Exam booklets. This piece should definitely be included as New Jersey is still the US sate with the most traffic circles (their roundabouts). I’ve spent many a day caught in the maelstrom of the roundabout. If it wasn’t for other people’s fenders I may never have been able to lock on and escape the eternal circle.

         by DarkoV on November 17, 2004 at 3:10 pm

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