Road Rage

Road rage bad, happiness book good.

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Example: Say human #1 is driving in the left of two southbound lanes at or above the speed limit. Human #2 comes from behind, also in the left lane but much faster. Human #1 believes he has the right to occupy the left lane, which of course, he does. Human #2 believes human #1 should get out of the way and move over, which would be both courteous and wise, but not required. So Human #2 takes offense at what he believes is Human #1’s insolence, and rides #1’s bumper, flashing his lights and honking, while the right lane remains completely clear!

Human #1 is offended by #2’s attempt at intimidation, and not only refuses to move, but slows down, enraging the irrational #2 even more. Both drivers now are in a situation in which the first to back down is the “loser”, and nobody wants to “lose.” The situation escalates, one driver pulls a gun and both cars wind up out of control.

Over what? Rather than referring to the ensuing crash with injuries as an “accident”, Safety-First-Man calls it an incident of ego, which many “accidents” really are. Who was right? Neither. Here’s another perspective for both drivers:

Let’s say #1 is driving in the left lane, again at or above the speed limit. He checks his rearview and sees a car spinning out of control, approaching from directly behind at a great rate of speed. The right lane is clear, and if #1 doesn’t move, he will be hit from behind. Without hesitation, #1 moves over, letting the crazily spinning vehicle by, and then slows down to see what the crazy car will do next.

Why did #1 move over in this case, and not in the first situation? Because there was no perceived intent to intimidate, and holding his ground would result in a wreck. There was simply a danger that could be avoided by moving over, and so that’s what #1 did, thankful that he was able to get out of the way in time.

Why couldn’t #1 perceive #2’s original high-speed approach from behind as a danger and move over to get out of the way, just as he did the spinning car? It’s safer to have reckless drivers in front of you, so you can watch them and react when they do crash, so what’s the difference? Ego. Human #1 should have moved over prior to #2 getting close enough to intimidate, if for no other reason than there was an avoidable road rage danger approaching from behind.

Now let’s say #2 is driving in the left lane at his normal, excessive rate of speed, and the slow-moving car in front of him blows a tire, and spins crazily but stays in the left lane. Without hesitation, #2 swerves into the right lane to avoid crashing into the spinning vehicle, relieved he was able to get by without crashing into it.

There was an avoidable danger ahead with no perceived intent to hold ground, and #2 did what was required to avoid a road rage wreck. Why couldn’t #2 perceive #1’s original slow speed in the left lane as a danger and move to the right to pass, just as he did with the spinning car?

Ego. Human #2 should have moved over and slowed down slightly, well before reaching #1’s position, if for no other reason than there was an avoidable road rage danger ahead. Humans. Ha!

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