Just once I’d like to be out on the road — driving, cycling or walking — and not find myself saying, in a tone considerably above sotto voce, “What a f___ing a__hole!” to my fellow road users.
This isn’t really a plea for everyone else to reform. I mean, I’d like it if people like the UPS driver who looked me straight in the eye as I approached an intersection on my bike this morning would have refrained from easing out in front of me as if daring me to smash into the side of his truck. But what are the chances that other people are going to suspend their road antics just because I want them to? The true answer would be a negative number, if that were possible, but for purposes of this discussion I’ll settle for zero.
What I’m looking for is the day I’ll rise above it all and just smile and wave when someone cuts me off. Either that, or just admit to myself that I’ve long since joined the fun and that for every time somebody does something to trigger a stream of profanity from me, I’ve probably pressed someone else’s buttons the same way.