So, there I was, driving to an appointment and taking advantage of the 65mph speed limit on this rural state two-lane highway. Until a fellow ahead of me set a new pace of 60mph. No biggie and I fell into pace at a polite distance, knowing a 55mph zone was coming up, after which there was clear road for easy passing. We slowed it down to 55mph through this ghost of a ghost-town.
Open road ahead with no oncoming traffic, I make my move and damit if the fart didn’t take it as some affront and put his peddle down to the metal. Fortunately, on this day I was driving a younger vehicle and I gunned it, having to take it up to 80mph in order to pull ahead of him before the open road disappeared into a bend.
So I thinks, what the hell is going on, is he going to be riding my ass now? Nope, as I settled back down to a nice 67ish, I watched him fading in the rearview mirror as he settled back to his 60ish.
It was another one of those What The Hell Are They Thinking moments. What is wrong with driving with a little spirit of cooperation in the heart? Not to mention road awareness.
For instance, my own vehicle is a venerable medium sized '98 pick-up. If it needs to, it can keep a pace of 65-70mph, but it, and me, much rather be around 55-60… or even better on the less traveled county roads cruising at 45ish, paying attention to the wonderland I’m traversing. (Besides, I’ve come to learn 45mph is a safety cut off of sorts - 45mph and below you and deer and other wildlife have time to safely react to each other, above 45mph it becomes increasingly a crapshoot of luck.)
But, I also stay aware of the road and traffic around me. For instance, when I go through that reduced speed zone with a car(s) on my tail, I pull to the wide shoulder, allowing vehicles to pass. Or if I’m driving down a road and someone starts passing, I ease off the gas, sometimes even tap my brakes to make passing as easy and safe as I can for me and my fellow travelers.
What’s wrong with awareness and courtesy?
What’s wrong with awareness and courtesy?Nothing at all as long as it doesn't interfere with the other driver's intentions. More often than not you encounter road hogs, drifters, NASCAR wannabes who just have to be at the head of the pack, texters who can't get the hell off their phone and pay scant attention to any other driver because they are safely ensconced in their protective metal cage, readers, yeah I watched a guy reading a newspaper drapped over his wheel, and the inevitable road rager who KNOWS that this is HIS road so get the hell off it now! Throw in the drunks and methheads who lost their license after forty convictions and you have a pretty scary environment "on the Road". There are times when I wish I had actually bought that tank for sale on EBay. Cap't Jack