Amazing! The things people say and do from a moving vehicle.

Everybody will chase you if you say the wrong thing.

All drivers suffer from the same illness. When we are behind the wheel we suffer from a lack of patience, and we seem to think that we have the right to say whatever comes to mind, including the making of the most rude gestures. I have had to deliberately think about my own behaviour and tone things down. I have been too ready to slag off others for the slightest offence, as seen from my eyes. Apparently, I have been the very model of all that is right and just. (Yeah, Right!)

Firstly, there's the loss of patience. I am tackling that by taking a deep breath before I turn the key. In that breath is my caution to myself to take things easy. I actually find that it does work, to the extent that I hardly notice the faults of others. I am ready for them by expecting the unexpected, such as the person who is on the exit lane, then changes their mind and suddenly comes back on to the highway. No pasa nada! I try not to immediately go into meltdown by screaming "shit for brains."

People give the bad finger salute to one another, or they taunt the other person even if both cars are going in the same direction. I once came up upon a car that was traveling very slowly, so I made as to overtake him. He picked up speed, so I fell back behind him. Then he slowed right down to a crawl pace. O.K. War was declared! My head exploded, but I took that deep breath and thought through to how that was likely to end. So, at the very next turnoff, I took a left onto the side road and stopped off the road, and calmed myself down. Within seconds I could hear from up the road the sounds of several cars blowing their horns, then calm again, so presumably he picked up speed to everyone's satisfaction. I did not kill a man that day.

A really offensive thing is the driver who roars up behind you, honking his horn for you to get out of his way. I really do believe that in most cases this is simply not necessary, but there might be the one case of genuine emergency, so best to let the person get past you without taking offence.

Road rage can produce some alarming behaviour, and sometimes the offended driver might take chase. How is that likely to end? The nicest thing to have happened to me on a lonely road, was to meet a car coming towards me. We both had to slow right down to make the pass. Just as we were driver to driver, the woman behind the wheel raised her shirt revealing two very lovely breasts. Then, in an instant she was gone.

That happened about thirty years ago. It is as fresh in my mind today as when it happened. That was just lovely!

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael