This is when people traditionally make their new year's resolutions. I usually don't make resolutions because I don't care and I'll probably not stick with it. This year I decided to make a resolution, though actually I made it weeks ago, still in the old year.
My resolution is pretty simple: Curb my road rage.
I'm not one of those people who goes about shooting at other cars who piss me off, but sometimes (a lot of times) I get so annoyed by the stupidity of other drivers I just can't take it anymore and start driving angry. That can lead to cutting people off, flipping them off, flashing my lights at them, or one time I got behind this asshole who had really bright headlights on and gave him my bright headlights for like 15 miles.
Generally nothing bad happens but then one December morning, I was on this off-ramp to go into downtown Detroit. Traffic was really slow for some reason. (People being stupid.) I kept seeing all these jerk-offs who'd go around the cars already waiting so they could weasel in ahead of people. So when this one jerk tried to do that ahead of me, I didn't let him. But I got so caught up in that I didn't pay enough attention to the traffic in front of me. So at one point I had to slam on my brakes. I would have stopped in time but this Buick SUV behind me must not have been paying attention either because it slammed into the back of me and pushed me into the back of this Lincoln.
We got off to the side and waited for a cop to show up, which took so long I got my Kindle out and read for a while. Anyway, to make a boring story shorter no one had any real damage, because I guess we were going slow enough where the bumpers and stuff absorbed it. No reports were filed or tickets handed out, which was cool.
But it's one of those things where afterwards I thought of what could have happened. I could have wrecked my car and had it out of commission forever or at least for a few weeks. (Which is what happened 10 years earlier, almost to that day. Freaky.) I could have been hurt. Other people could have been hurt. Was it really worth it to keep some jerk from getting ahead of me on the ramp? No.
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| My car, #Five |
So I decided I owed it to myself, other people, my pocketbook, and my car to curb the road rage. Really when it comes to driving you should think more like a Jedi than a Sith lord. Relax and let the Force flow through you instead of giving in to hate and rage.
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| Choose your path carefully... |
There you go, I have a new year's resolution now.
NOTE: January is pretty much the busiest month where I work because we have all the year-end paperwork to do, so don't be surprised if there are days without a blog entry or if I don't respond to comments like I usually do or comment on your blog entries.
Road rage. It gets us all.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you what instantly neutralises recklessness and road rage in my experience: having your own small child in the car with you. When I'm driving alone, I have my moments. But when there's a small child in the back seat? Zen.
Regarding the Mayan stuff, that has been wildly misinterpreted. The Mayans believed in cycles. What they predicted for what many believe is this year is the end of one spiritual cycle, and the beginning of another. From what I understand it's about awareness, not the apocalypse.
For any who really are worried, the Mayans also have prophecies relating to hundreds of years time.
Good luck with your accounts, Grumpy.
That's a good resolution, especially since idiot drivers just aren't worth it.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually pretty laid back, so when I'm pushed into aggression it tends to be the sneaky passive kind, which can be worse.
I just thought of something else.
ReplyDeleteThere was this one time I was driving home on a two lane road (going about 55 mph) where the sun was on the horizon and very bright. A car pulled out in front of the car ahead of me. Then the car in front of me couldn't stop and slammed right into it. His car spun into the on coming traffic and grazed another car.
I managed to barely hit the car in front me and ended up on the side of the road.
Then I realized this driver had pulled out into a busy street without being able to see because of the sun. He was in the car holding onto the back of his neck and looking desperate.
Then I noticed a kid in the backseat of his car. It was all I could do not to get of my car and scream at him. I also wanted to yank his license out and toss it into the street.
I'm protective when it comes to kids. But at least the kid was okay.
I have to agree with Neil that I do drive differently with people in the car. Like if I have my sisters or mom in the car I try not to drive as angry. Because really you do have to think about the other people in the car and not get them hurt because you're in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteI commuted 25 miles each direction for 20 years. I became an expert at dodging accidents. I did feel like a Jedi. Better to enjoy the peace and quiet of your car than to get yourself worked up about things you can't control.
ReplyDeleteThe people in Salt Lake City where I live would have filed a claim with your insurance company for a scratch on the bumper. I once bumped into a guy in front of me. We pulled off the road. He had no visible damage that I could see to his bumper that I could see.
ReplyDeleteAnyway...insurance company called me a month later and said they'd settled with the guy for $4,000 in damages.
I said, "How is that possible?"
She replied, "He wanted more. He complained about injuries and we had to rent him a car to have the whole rear end repainted and he insisted that the undercarriage had been damaged so we had to hire an expert to come in and prove that it had not been caused by you."
Basically, in our conversation, she said he was trying to have them total out the car and replace it.
I was flabbergasted. Again...I did no damage to the car.
It just showed me what kind of people live here in Salt Lake City. They are the most pretentious, preening, and in many ways "scheming" people I've ever lived around.
I tend to be a peaceful driver. If I'm late for something then so be it. I've known too many people that have died to get all vengeful on the road.
ReplyDeleteAs an idiot driver I'm all in favor of your resolution. For my part, I'll try to do less daydreaming while driving and pay more attention to the road. I've never been in an accident but I think it's because Someone is watching over me, not because of my driving skills. This year I plan on taking public transportation as much as I can.
ReplyDeleteRule number one, Grumpy: When you are in a car accident, you are ALWAYS injured. Or, as they said in law school: "Remember that there is no way, medically, to disprove a claim of whiplash."
ReplyDeleteI'm going to hell.
Anyway, I kind of get road rage, too, but I dealt with it by trying to allow lots of extra time. With smart phones and iPods and Kindles, it's fine with me if I arrive early, as I can always do some work or kill some time, so I'm not just loitering around.
But I DO hate those people who zoom past the traffic and cause all the merger problems, which is a problem I solved once:
http://www.thinkingthelions.com/2009/11/1001-ways-to-tune-up-world-number-forty.html
If only people would listen to me, then the tragedy of your accident might have been averted and you wouldn't have had to waste your resolution on this, but could have instead resolved to, say, eat more cheesecake.
Good resolution. My husband has rotten road rage. He's usually such a quiet and calm man except when it comes to driving and video games. Is it a guy thing?
ReplyDeleteI embrace my road rage and feel it should be made legal for all of us to carry paintball guns in our vehicles. When your car is covered in paintball spots, it shows you are an irredeemable idiot driver and you lose your license - FOREVER! But good luck to you! ;)
ReplyDeleteScrew paintballs, I want a giant hammer that comes out of the top of my car and flattens other cars. But, then, the people get out and are okay, even if their car is flattened.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a problem with road rage, and I do what I can to use alternative means of transportation, like biking to school with my kids. I do hate stupid drivers, though, but that probably has more to do with my feelings toward stupid people in general.
Here's something fun: when we moved, we had to pay a fee to our insurance provider because we moved into a zip code with a higher rate of accidents. Even though I've never been involved in an accident and haven't had a speeding ticket in over 20 years (and that one wasn't my fault).