Personal Peeves Part 1

An incident at work raised my ire a couple years ago and impelled me to write up a two-page list of things that peeve me at work. After I calmed down I shared the list with a couple of my colleagues who had a laugh at my expense. Apparently my list contained many small issues which they found amusing. The list made its way around the office and is now an oft-told tale and a source of amusement to everyone except me. I was serious about every single peeve I listed. Not so my colleagues.

Getting cut-off during my daily commute prompts me to compose a personal peeve list to accompany my work peeve list. While my workplace peeve list was composed of one-liners, this one is going to be accompanied by analysis. Won’t this be fun?

I am naming this “Part 1” as I am sure I will have some more peeves to write-up later.


Getting Cut-Off

I was driving to work today on the Stone Mountain Freeway with barely a car-length between me and the car ahead. A driver in the right-hand lane spontaneously changed lanes into that narrow space, barely clearing my front bumper. This didn’t surprise me as it is a daily occurrence during my commute. Sometimes it is accompanied with a turn signal, and sometimes it is not. What is constant is that this always occurs at least once during each leg of my 30-minute commute.

What especially aggravates me is the sense of entitlement accompanying the act. It isn’t an accident. When I flash my lights at the offender they either give me the finger or slam on the brakes to get back at me. Somehow in their minds I am the offender in this incident. They know I am there and they don’t care. They can just barely clear my bumper and move into the space like they own it. For them it is a game of chicken or they are claiming what they feel is justly theirs. They know I will have to slow down or risk causing an accident. If I hit their rear bumper I am the one who will be charged the traffic offense of following too closely.

I am left to wonder who taught them, or where did they learn, that this is proper behavior. If you knew that your neighbor was in the other car would you still do it? Aren’t all strangers neighbors you haven’t met yet? How about putting on your turn signal to let me know you’d like to change lanes? Give me a chance to be gracious and give you some space to move into. I would be pleased for you to ask kindly in the form of a turn signal for the space, and in turn I could do a good deed by granting that space. Both of us could be enriched ever-so-slightly by such a pleasant unspoken exchange by strangers on the highway. Instead of that pleasant scenario these jerks assume I am a jerk who will not let them in and instead force their way in. Either that or they feel entitled to take the space as their commute is more important than anyone else on the highway.


Getting Ahead

There are stoplights where the 2-lane road expands to 4 lanes for 50 yards leading into the stoplight, and then narrows from 4 lanes to 2 on the far side of the stoplight. During rush hour as many as 10 cars may be “stuck” behind a slower driver, and as they approach the stoplight many of them will swerve into the new lane as it is created. Several near crashes occur as some drivers realize later than others that the lane is there and swerve to cut-off those who are behind them and “get ahead”.

If the light is green a race ensues where the hotdogs try to pass the car that was leading the 10-car string of cars before the road narrows back to 2 lanes. Inevitably one too many attempts to pass on the right and nearly runs off the road themselves, or nearly sideswipes the former leader into oncoming traffic. All too often one or more of the hotdogs force their way back into the string of cars several positions up from where they were before the light. Was it worth the risk of your life and mine? Ridiculous!

If the light is red the hotdogs sit in the right-hand lane waiting to hit the gas and the same race ensues. Again, lives are risked by passing at the last moment or forcing their way back into traffic. And what is gained? There is another “slow” driver just ahead to hold these hotdogs back. There isn’t anybody on the road going as fast as these yahoos want to go. There is always going to be another driver up ahead who will be in their way. They are never going to get to their destination appreciably faster. Why not be courteous and enjoy the drive home?

Can’t we all just get along?