May 21st, 2008

You know, though people don't believe me when I say this, it's perfectly true: When I am wrong I am perfectly happy to admit it.

So, this latest burr-against-my-skin rant could very well be unfair and based on a mistaken notion.

Imagine this scenario: I am driving along the road and need to signal left into a driveway in the middle of the block. Oh screw it, here's a picture:

WaitingToTurn

In this image, I am Car A, waiting for the traffic to clear so I can turn left into the driveway.

Car B is coming down the road towards me, and he suddenly stops in the middle of the road and waves me into the driveway. Basically, he tells me, I have his permission to break the law.

Well that irritated me excessively: I shook my head "no" but he wouldn't budge. I continued to just sit there while we both got more agitated, I could see him swearing at me and getting all red-faced.

But I didn't turn left in front of him because he has the right of way and being over-polite and exercising egalitarianism to excess is not good driving habits. If I had decided to go and another car was passing him on his right then I would have had an accident that was my fault. Or if he got tired of waiting at the same time that I got tired of waiting and we collided, then again it would have been my fault. Or if his car was hiding a pedestrian ... etc., you get my point, I'm sure.

To put it succinctly: He had the right of way and he should not have stopped in the middle of the road.

This is also a matter of principle on a larger scale: Once people start exercising inappropriate politeness in driving, and once we start ignoring the rules of the road, we are starting down a slippery slope into traffic mayhem.

I am sure that he drove away all agitated and jittery at me because I wouldn't let him play traffic hero. I am also sure that he knows full well he was wrong to be so over-generous.

Read more rants - Top Blogs - Comment on this rant - Email me