Re: road rage

["Ken Stevenson" <k.stevenson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Last year I triggered road rage, without flipping anyone off.  I drive to
win, I pass everyone.  Traffic was light, daytime on I-20 in a rural
setting.  I pull the 164 up behind a pickup truck while we pass an eighteen
wheeler.  After the truck is passed, I am the first one in the right lane
and attempt to pass the pickup.  The pickup cuts in front.  We both pass a
car on the right.  After passing the car, I am ready to pass the pickup
while the pickup now wants the left lane for passing some cars in the right
lane, she cuts me off again.  So, I pass anyway, on the shoulder of the
highway triggering road rage.

The road is clear for about two miles, I speed up over 100 mph while the old
pickup disappears in the rear view mirror.  I slow for a clump of traffic.
Kind of forgotten about the pickup.  A glance in the mirror, WTF !!!!!!!
The pickup is doing some high speed off road maneuvers!!!  I am spooked.
The traffic clears and I disappear at high speed, the problem is over.  I
believe that the pickup driver must have sped up while the traffic was so
clear, then discovered that they could not slow down for the slow moving
traffic and decided to take it off road.  At that moment, their fear of
dying over-powered their road rage.

I am a considerate driver when traffic is moderate to heavy, if I trigger
road rage I have no speed and handling advantage.  However, if traffic is
light, I drive fast enough to remove myself from all situations before the
opposing driver decides to object to my behavior.  My wife expects for me to
be shot and killed in traffic someday.  Yet, my theory is that by the time
my opponent pulls their weapon, I am out of range or quickly disappearing
from range.

IMHO, flipping off offensive motorists is for those with a strong death
wish. What if the guy you give the finger to is having a stressful time
adjusting to life after prison?  What if the guy is the prized new client
that the boss just found?  What if the fellow is an IRS agent and he decides
to look up your name from your MVR and ruin your life?  What if the person
is a postal worker and decides to lookup your name from your MVR and then
...... ?

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