Road Rage!

Road Rage


So, your driving down the interstate, no doubt thinking on the events of your day or what you have on the agenda tomorrow. Your minding your own business, traveling between the posted speed limit of 70 mph and 80 mph. Then all the sudden your vehicle interior fills with blinding light. You glance up at the rearview mirror to see an 18 wheeler's radiator grill just off of the bumper of your car. No warning, no idea he snuck up on you so quickly. Before you are even able to change lanes, he is flashing those huge bright lights in your eyes. You want to check over your shoulder to see if the middle lane is clear to merge over into the next lane, but you can't see behind you for the blinding lights.

Suddenly, you are now thinking about the movie Maximum Overdrive, the movie that featured vehicles taking on a life source of their own with a lust for running over anything and everything in their path. But this is not a movie, you have 20 tons of metal bearing down on the trunk of your car traveling at 80 mph.

Road Rage sets in.

This is the unexplainable urge to take the situation personal. We as drivers of our vehicles now become as territorial as lions, tigers and dogs. My lane is my lane by God, and nobody will bully me into giving it up. What gives that trucker the right to rule the road? He is probably from out of state anyway, I live near here. Pride is also an important factor involved with road rage. You rationalize the situation. I was already doing the speed limit, maybe a little bit more, what gives him the right to be driving faster than me? I'll show him. I'm not going to merge over, heck no, I'm going to slow down. This will chap his backside. So you slow down. 80 mph, 75, mph, 70 mph, 65 mph. There, you think to yourself, I bet that got his panties in a wad. Sure enough, the trucker abruptly changes lanes almost kissing the back bumper of your vehicle. Now he is gaining on your right side. Now enters competition, this is the compelling urge to hold your ground, keep in the lead ahead of the truck. As the cab of the truck moves along side where you can see the front of his rig through your passenger side window, you step on the accelerator. Slowly you progress forward, watching with pleasure as the front of the rig falls behind. A giddy feeling of excitement and payback encourages you continue to put distance between you and the truck. Now who is the King of the road? You watch the trucks headlights fade smaller in the rearview mirror. You ease back in your seat with a smug feeling of victory, after all, you showed him who was boss. He needs to go down the interstate a bit further to find a driver who has no backbone. Maybe as far as Mississippi you think to yourself.

Now the traffic picks up a bit more and slows you down. You scan the lanes in front of you in order to choose which lane will give you the best possible strategic advantage over the trucker who has gained momentum. Yes, a slower vehicle just merged into the middle lane, you merge back to the far left lane. The trucker confirms your wise calculations by getting back into the far left passing lane. A smile brightens your face. You know round 2 is about to begin. You judge your speed against the slower middle lane driver, making sure he doesn't spoil your plans by merging in front of you. You accelerate to the point that you are side by side with the middle lane driver. All lanes blocked momentarily. Here he comes. The truck advances on your rear rapidly. You accelerate just enough to appear that you will overtake the middle lane driver and merge over in front of him, allowing the truck to gain the fast lane.

Just as the truck has built up enough speed to gain on you and maneuver around you in front of the middle lane driver, you lift your foot from the accelerator, rapidly losing ground to the middle lane driver. The trucker continues his speed until he is back on your bumper again. Success, you have boxed him in again. There they are, the high-beams flashing inside your vehicle again. You smile, you know the trucker's blood pressure has boiled over. He is at your mercy. You decide it is time to cruise at a leisurely pace for a few miles or 5. The trucker cannot get over due to other traffic that has caught up. You are in the drivers seat.

You have grown accustom to the bright lights and closeness of the 18 wheeler on your behind. It doesn't strike fear in you anymore. He can kiss my 4-wheeling, 4 cylinder butt, you think with pride. Besides, driving a big heavy truck like that is dangerous. He could hurt someone. Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud air-horn and more flashing headlights. Well, what do you know, your exit is coming up, and now you must gain enough speed to overtake both lanes of traffic to the right of you. You accelerate full speed ahead, leaving the group of travelers behind. now you take the exit lane and slow down enough making sure the trucker can catch up to you. As he pulls along side, you lift your hand to give him a 1 fingered salute. You see his brake lights flash on as you laugh knowing that he has no chance of making the exit lane. He gives up and continues on with his travels. You sit back and marvel at the nerve he had to challenge your right to drive however you see fit.

Now the excitement ebbs. You replay the whole experience from start to finish. After the joy of irritating this trucker goes away, you start to wonder why you even bothered with it in the first place. After all, that isn't how you normally react in your everyday life. You question yourself, why did I not just get over and let him go about his business? It wouldn't have hurt anything, I was in no hurry. Why did I let it get to me that way? You think to yourself, maybe he had a family emergency and was just trying to get home in a hurry and dint realize he was driving rude. You also realize that chances are that if you had met that same truck driver during the course of your day, you may have liked him enough to buy his lunch.

Now guilt sets in. The truth of the matter is that you as a responsible and courteous driver should have just merged over and given him the fast lane. Wow, you think to yourself. IM the inconsiderate driver. How did that happen? Is it the fact that when your in a car, your really anonymous to all others? Do you really feel safe in the surroundings of your vehicle to the point that you will act in a manor that is normally not your personality? This is something to think about the next time you are driving. You never know who is in the next car, and what they are capable of doing.

The useless philosophy of:

Edwardsthegreat