Labels for the wild things who keep messing up the highways
QYou asked for a name for those numbskulls who weave in and out of lanes at excessive speeds. I suggest Road Zombies since they have no brains. A And away we go In the Roadshow contest to come up with a fitting nickname for speeders, tailgaters and drivers who veer from lane to lane.
These drivers are very different from Road Boulders, the moniker Mrs. Roadshow came up with years ago to describe drivers in the fast lanes going slower than the flow of traffic. Q My dear mother did not like “zip zip zoom-zoom” California traffic and might have called them Zip Zip Zoomers or Zig-zag Zoomers. — Mrs. Roadshow, SAN Jose
A And…
Q I go with Ricochet Rabbit. I’m sure you remember him. — Ward Loveland, Redwood City
A I had no clue but dug deep to discover that Ricochet Rabbit worked as a sheriff in the town of Hoop ‘n’ Holler in cartoons. Ricochet would bounce off stationary objects, yelling “Bing-bingbing!”
Q Flying Squirrels because they’re nuts. — Ken Sweet, SANTA CLARA
A That fits.
Q How about Carpool Cheetahs? — Richard Swent, Palo Alto
A They do move fast, like cheetahs.
Q Just a thought on what to call the opposite of Road Boulders: Bumper Biters. — Dave Pennypacker
A And…
Q For your contest to name speeding drivers who weave in and out of traffic, I like the oldfashioned name: Lanehoppers. Not as colorful as road boulders, but descriptive. — Lynne Ellinwood, Richmond
A Another one that fits.
Q I label drivers who dart in and out of lanes dangerously Flea Flickers. In football, a flea flicker is a high-risk play that often results in disaster for the offense but occasionally results in a big gain. — Bill Hilton
A Flea flickers seldom worked for my high school football team and often ended in a midfield pileup.
Q My wife Joy has come up with a good name for speed demons: Tarmac Terrors. —Dineshdesai, Los Altos
A It can feel as if they’re speeding for takeoff, yes.