The Drive
It is a
beautiful summer day, and you are now driving down one of America’s greatest
blessings: the freeway. This amazing
luxury connects city to city and state to state for endless miles across the
country. Your current objective is to
meet up with an old friend, so you are in no particular hurry. You have your cruise control set at a steady
70 MPH. The posted speed limit is 65
MPH, but you fully trust and are confident in the “5 MPH-over-the-speed-limit
cushion;” the generally consistent safeguard that a police officer will not
ticket you unless you are speeding at least 6 MPH over the limit. To fortify your confidence in this unwritten
rule, you were once personally assured by a highway patrol officer that such is
acceptable and safe; especially when driving on the freeway.
So, there
are no worries in your mind about being harassed by a police officer. No sir, there is not a care in your
world. Nothing but a summer breeze
blowing through your cracked window, your favorite beverage chilling in the
center console, and your favorite music bumping out of the speakers. Aw yes, life couldn’t get any better. As you somewhat casually rest your palm on
the center top of the steering wheel and gracefully steer your vehicle to and
fro with careless ease, you begin to realize how grateful you are for the
freeway. What a fun privilege it is to drive on such a well conceived structure. An organized structure that has clear rules
and expectations regarding myself, fellow drivers, and police authorities. As long as I am doing what I am supposed to
do, there are never any surprises…
But then suddenly,
you notice a small spec in the rear view mirror that seems to be moving
extremely fast. The spec is in fact another
vehicle driving in your lane several hundred yards back. The spec dramatically increases in size as it
quickly demolishes the distance between the two of you, and evolves into a
large, souped-up truck; but is not a highway patrol man. You breathe a sigh of relief knowing you are
not being pulled over. Regardless, your
heart rate increases at this uniquely stressful and unprecedented situation. Your rear view mirror is now completely
consumed by the vehicle’s image as the driver insists to ride as close to your
bumper as possible (also referred to as “tailgating”). Your humble sedan holds its ground against
the beefy truck. The situation is indeed
awkward and even dangerous. You feel a
leap in your chest as intense frustration and anxious discomfort replace your
previous feelings of relaxed peace and joy.
Several thoughts race through your mind.
What is he doing? Why is he driving so close to me? Am I perhaps doing something wrong? You
double and triple check your speedometer, which has not changed from 70
MPH. You double check the posted speed
limit which is an unchanged 65 MPH. You
think to yourself, not only am I driving
the speed limit, but I am actually speeding myself. This guy obviously wants me
to drive at his desired speed, but I do not want to risk a speeding ticket or
the safety of others. If this guy wants
to drive faster, he should simply go around me. You look to the lane next to you. There is absolutely no one blocking the way. The driver can easily get over, but chooses to
remain on your tail, and is now flashing his brights at you. You tense up even further and grip the
steering wheel with both hands, instead of one.
You know you are doing nothing wrong, and refuse to increase your
speed. You also refuse to get over.
After a long
two minutes of stress, the rogue vehicle finally moves into the adjacent
lane. He then smashes down on the
accelerator, and passes you with angry eyes and an angry finger. With violent rage, the driver swerves and
cuts you off just barely avoiding contact with the front of your car. He now continues at the speed he originally
wanted to go, which is about 15 MPH over the speed limit. You lay down on your horn after the near
accident experience, signaling your extreme disapproval and awareness of his reckless
behavior. He quickly disappears into the
distance and once again becomes a spec. But
a twist of fate occurs. He eventually
approaches his next law abiding victim, who ironically happens to be an
undercover cop, who then pulls him over and issues a huge ticket; not only for
speeding, but for the traffic violation of following too closely behind another
vehicle. As you pass him up on the road a
couple minutes later, a smile of satisfaction forms at the scene of
justice.
Stay Cool
All of us
have experienced a similar situation.
Whether you were the law abiding driver or the rogue vehicle, we
frequently feel the frustration of another person not driving exactly how we
want them to. But we must keep a cool
head, take a step back, and ask ourselves: is
what I am doing in accordance with the law?
When you are tempted to get
angry about someone else’s driving, simply apply the same question to that
driver: is the driving in accordance with
the law? If the answer is yes, then
you have no right to get angry. If the answer
is no, then you certainly have the right to get frustrated, but should still never
engage in illegal/reckless driving yourself to express that frustration. Stay cool.
Unwritten and Perceived Traffic Rules
Driving
etiquette on the freeway is often interpreted and understood differently by passionate
people with unique driving backgrounds.
We expect other people to do what we have been taught regarding
unwritten, perceived traffic rules. When
they don’t, we feel the infamous effects of road rage. We often take the terminology “my lane” too
literally; believing that the lane in which we currently ride is in fact our
property. Everyone inside that lane is a
lucky guest who must adhere to our expectations and to our way. In the minds of many, the only alternative
action for an insubordinate guest is described by a popular Ludacris rap song,
“Move! Get out the way!” But like in most sensitive and controversial
situations of life (including freeway conflicts and road rage), someone is in
the right, and someone is in the wrong. Both
sides are passionate and very insisting, but only one is right. The other either holds to inaccurate
information, ignorance, sheer pride and selfishness, or simply listens to too
much Ludacris rap. Who is right in the
above driving situation? The truck or
the sedan?
If after
reading this story, you realize you are typically the person who tailgates other
drivers, then I am sorry to inform you of your wrong doing, but yes it is true;
the guy in the truck is the wrong doer in this situation.
His defense argument would probably be centered around the widely
adopted idea that the slower driver should always get over for the faster
driver as a courtesy. This is a
perceived, unwritten rule, but is not supported by law. Yes, it would certainly be a courtesy, or in
other words, a selfless act of service for a slower vehicle to move over;
however this course of action is, again, not required by law. Furthermore, the same argument could be used
by the slower driver by posing the question: is it not also a courtesy for fast drivers to take the initiative to move
around me, instead of expecting me to move?
After all, the fast drivers are supposedly in a hurry so why waste
precious time tailgating, when they can simply and quickly move over to the
next lane? Sadly, the most frequent reality to this scenario is not an actual
need to get somewhere quickly. It is
pride. It is trying to be the king of
the freeway. The dominate vehicle. Which is the reason why jacked-up truck
owners are the dudes who most frequently bully the freeways. It is an egocentric sizing-up mentality. They believe they own the road, and that
everyone should cower before them.
Misconception About the “Fast Lane”
Clearly, not
every tailgater is a big truck or someone trying to be mean. Some people are just ignorant to the actual
laws of the road. For example, some
people believe that in the “fast” lane (far left lane) they have the right
to drive however fast they want, and if the person in front of them is driving
slower, they have the right to ride their bumper until they finally get the
hint and move over. Fortunately, this
situation is not a matter of opinion.
The fast lane is there for drivers who are able to move at the posted
speed limit. It does not mean to say
that you can literally drive however fast you want. The “slow” lane (or far right lane) is the
lane designated for people who must travel slower than the posted speed limit,
for example, trailer rigs, semi trucks, old people, etc.
What should
you do if you find yourself driving behind a vehicle in the fast lane that is
moving slower than the speed
limit? Well, the first thing to do is
immediately panic. Then vigorously grind
your teeth together, and with the rage of a rhino, ram into the back of the
vehicle. Okay, I am just joking. Please don’t do that. Regardless of the situation, riding other
cars is always dangerous and against the law.
So that is not the proper solution.
If someone is driving under the posted speed limit in the fast lane, you
could send a friendly honk their way in hopes they get the message. The most immediately effective option is to
simply move around the vehicle or to another lane. Whatever your course of action, I highly
recommend you remain calm and chill. You
will live longer and enjoy a higher quality of life.
In short, if you have an emergency or simply have
the desire to drive fast, that is your prerogative and must be accomplished at
your effort.
Freeway; Not Yourway
It is wrong
to demand others to inconvenience themselves and cater to yourway of driving.
Especially if yourway is illegal.
The freeway and the lanes contained within it are not yours. The name “freeway” indicates your freedom to
use the public service, not your freedom to use it how you desire. We must drive on the freeway like mature,
respectful adults who place importance on safety and the established laws. So with this understanding in mind, let us
always remember…freeway; not, yourway.
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