Back Off!

I believe in assertive driving, I really do. I think there are times in life and on the road that you don't need to "pushed around" but I have a real issue with aggressive driving. My complaint this morning is passing and tailgating.

We live in a rural county that neighbors a county that is very populated with a large city so our area has come to be known as a "bedroom community" meaning that people live there but make the drive to the next county for work. Because of that combination I am accustomed to passing slower traffic on the one 2-lane road out of our county. I drive to work each morning in the dark so when someone is driving much slower than myself I wait for clear section, put on my signal, pass them, then get back over and give them plenty of room. But every once in awhile I pass someone that was either half asleep or on the phone and then decide that they want to drive faster now so they speed up and tailgate. The morning was one of those times. I did what I always do and then it happened. They sped up, turned on their brights and followed too close all the way to the expressway, where the 2 lanes open up to 4. When this person got beside me I saw a young girl and judging by the stickers on her Jeep, was still in high school. I was furious!

I am not always a perfect driver but I am cautious and I take things into consideration. If someone is speeding, maybe their late or have an emergency but things like this are just rude and dangerous. What I don't understand is that if someone passes me with a grocery cart I don't walk faster or run up behind them. Or if someone walks around me in the mall I don't glare at them. Why does a car make someone feel entitled to act like that?

I don't think the girl this morning knew I had a child in the car, or thought she was doing anything dangerous but I hope one day when she's a mom and has a child in the car that she thinks long and hard about how she drives and how it effects others around her. Until then I hope she doesn't tailgate someone that slams on the brakes faster than she expects. Cars are not safety capsules and if you don't have at least two seconds between you and the car in front of you BACK OFF!