Bad Drivers - 15

Morning Friend,

Have you ever been blatantly cut off in traffic by someone who didn't use their signal, didn't shoulder check, and in fact seemed completely oblivious to the fact that if not for your own innate stunt-driving skill, ( which enabled you to flip your vehicle up onto two wheels and avoid them), a collision would have occurred?

In the initial aftermath of such near misses, I used to find myself in a fit of pure rage.

Driving a car on two wheels plays havoc with the alignment, not to mention the passengers in your car pool who, even if they were "buckled up", just survived an unexpected "amusement park-esque" thrill involving ear-splitting tire screeches, stomach-heaving "G" forces, and a heart-stopping melee of flying travel cups.

And if this wasn't upsetting to them enough, their small comfort at having just survived a scene from Die Hard, is short-lived as the fear-sizzled air around them fills with their wild-eyed driver's maniacal shrieks of outrage and vengeance towards the unwary perpetrator of the near miss. ( whose "parentage", is now identified as some freakish bi-product of animal husbandry )

It is at this point that some of these "near accidents" have the potential to turn into violent "incidents" of what is known as "road rage"....where one driver feels the need to inflict retaliatory punishment upon another who's deemed to be lacking in certain fundamental attributes.

In MOST cases, cooler heads prevail and an exchange of unpleasantries and one-finger salutes marks the end of it.

When it's 40 below outside, ( as it's soon to be for several months in this part of the world), no one other than the EXCEPTIONALLY ROAD-RAGED want to get outside their warm vehicles to administer and perhaps even exchange blows.

Not to mention the fact the other vehicle's frosted up windows may conceal a car-load of maniacal knife-toting thugs or a team of newly emigrated Algerian Ultimate Fighters?

Violence, is never the answer in ANY season and especially over something as insignificant as a vehicle or as unavoidable as bad drivers.

The idea of beating someone up, ( or TAKING a good thumping) and the inherent legal, medical and personal costs "because your car got damaged" is ludicrous enough, but the idea that you can instill good driving ability, teach pleasing social skills, and demonstrate heartfelt care,consideration and humanity to another person by raining punches on them is completely illogical.

The sad truth of the matter is that the person who didn't use their turn signal, NEVER uses it......

never uses their rear-view mirror except to apply makeup

never shoulder checks

never follows at a safe distance

never turns into or out of the proper lane

never "drives to road conditions"

NEVER should have received a Driver's License !

Whether through incompetence, impairment, laziness or ignorance ( they just don't KNOW any better), at LEAST 50% of drivers on the road today are BAD drivers. It's a simple as that.

Unfortunate to say but YOU, my friend, have perhaps unknowingly developed some bad driving HABITS which qualify you in that percentile, and I daresay are at risk of getting "popped in the beak" by some rabid commuter one day.

But because I have become fully AWARE of the number of people who are actually licensed to drive; who are actually DRIVING when they have absolutely no business doing so, it won't be ME getting all "raged up" over dings, fender benders and near misses.

When I do drive ( or especially while cycling), I use that awareness to my advantage by anticipating at all times....the unexpected, the unnatural, the idiotic, the ignorant, the aggressive, the mindless and dangerous antics of BAD drivers.

It's all about "survival", "acceptance" and one of my all time favorite and USEFUL prayers.

(with apologies to the author)

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the fact that the roadways are fraught with dangers out of my control, the courage to drive/ride as defensively and courteously as I can, and the wisdom to WALK whenever possible."

Love tImMy :/

“Laugh as much as you breathe
and love as long as you live." ( between the curbs)