Some people consider rules and regulations mere suggestions
In their view, rules are just something else in life to challenge. The need to find a workaround, a loophole, or simply ignore whatever rule is in their way is a constant in their lives. This affliction often rears its annoying head in traffic.
Traffic is the eternal fountain of absurd behavior. Perhaps the reason for frequent examples of folks traffic faux pas stems from a deep well of selfishness and a disregard for others. What better place to manifest such behavior than in traffic situations. How unfortunate for the less rebellious drivers!
Could it be the glut of humanity squeezed into two or four-lane roads, particularly during rush hour traffic that causes folks to notice the never ending acts of idiocy perpetrated by other drivers? When too many humans are in proximity to one another, flashes of blockhead behavior multiply. Of course, all drivers believe they are above bad behavior, that is until a situation arises and suddenly, they become the fools.
The rule breakers may cause other drivers to see situations through a red haze with smoke pouring from their ears. Such deviations in traffic etiquette may induce a visually impaired moment in other drivers, and the urge to stomp on our pugnacity pedal and retaliate (if only verbally) becomes overwhelming.
Bad behavior in traffic is similar to mob mentality. Folks who are part of a mob assume they are invisible and feel empowered to behave in a manner their mothers would not like. In the case of drivers, they must assume that the interior of their vehicles renders them invisible and anonymous. When ignorance and anonymity rule, people’s stupid side surfaces.
One of this writer’s smoke-out-of-the-ears inducing moments is when drivers block intersections, entrances to shopping areas or driveways. What part of the Do Not Block Intersections rule do they not understand? Or, perhaps they do know the rule and choose to ignore it.
When we get into our cars, we know where we intend to go. And yet, near-collisions and actual collisions occur when a driver is unprepared or inattentive and decides to cross four lanes to exit the highway. Such events are guaranteed to give rise to yet another speaking in unacceptable tongues moment.
For some, the process of changing lanes or making a turn off the highway seems to be a difficult procedure. Q-tips (also known as seasoned citizens), as well as country folk who populate the roads in small towns and surrounding highways, seem baffled by the simple maneuver. In either case, those drivers come to a complete stop before easing into another lane or the turn lane. The reason thoughtful highway engineers provided turn lanes was to assure the smooth flow of traffic. How hard is that?
Perhaps the turn lane-challenged folks are simply masters of ignoring the frantic screech of tires behind them. However, in bumper to bumper situations, when a long line of cars come to a sudden and unexpected stop, the front and rear bumper accordion effect comes into play. It is not a pretty sight or experience when several unsuspecting vehicles become crushed into completely unaesthetic shapes. In fact, we are willing to wager and win a sizable sum that a fender bender of any magnitude is never on the To Do List of any of the affected drivers.
It is quite likely that the concept and development of driverless cars is a direct consequence of careless driving and the numerous resulting accidents. However, those who wish to place their faith in the competence of computer-driven vehicles to get them from Point A to Point B in a safe and timely manner live in the land of fairies and magic.
Such true believers in the perfect performance of machines have tuned out the plethora of news stories concerning computer glitches. Have they overlooked or forgotten the havoc wreaked by anonymous hackers who love the challenge of messing with our lives?
Our choice is human rather than artificial control.