By: Tele Figueroa
May 3, 2026
I usually try to add a bit of humor to what I write. Not because everything is funny, but because I fear that without it, people might lose interest and stop reading. However, when I started writing this piece, I realized there was no room for jokes. This is serious… even if it sounds backwards.
I don’t know if textbooks have changed, if I was a bad student, or if this new generation decided to rewrite the rules altogether. But what I’m about to describe makes me feel like I’m completely lost. You decide.
I’ve always had the impression that some people have a strong aversion to two very basic car functions:
turn signals and brakes.
The setting for this story is the neighborhood where I live, in Aliana. If you’re driving and plan to turn right or left, the apparent rule is simple: don’t use your turn signal and make the turn anyway. You, the driver waiting to move forward, and even the car behind you will all be eternally grateful… apparently.
Now, if you are not turning and are going straight ahead, then by all means, turn on your signal…right or left…and keep driving straight. Completely illogical, yet it seems to be the local rule.
The famous Stop Signs deserve special mention. Some drivers see them, smile, and speed up. It doesn’t matter if another car is coming. They maneuver around and continue as if nothing happened, often with a grin worthy of Muttley from the Looney Tunes.
And then there are the speed limit signs. Apparently, some residents believe the posted speed is the minimum required. Where it says 30 mph, they drive at 50 or 60. There’s even a young woman who seems to think the street in front of my house is a Formula One racetrack every morning.
So, what should we do? Keep waiting for another accident to happen?
I understand that all these traffic violations have been reported to the Homeowners Association. What has been done? I’d bet… nothing.
Hablemos, Tele 
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