Hope Those Fingers Aren’t Loaded

Sitting at a stop light yesterday, I watched in my rear view mirror as the man in the passenger’s seat of the car behind me opened the door and stepped one foot out onto the pavement. Turning to look at the car beside him, he raised his hand, formed it into the shape of a gun and fired a shot at the driver.

The driver, obviously unharmed, paid no attention to the man with the handgun. Finally, after staring the driver down for a minute, the shooter turned back around in his seat and shut the car door. The light turned green and everyone drove on ahead as if nothing happened.

I don’t know what provoked the man to threaten the driver, but in my opinion his actions were nothing more than childish. I get it – people don’t like to be cut off in traffic or tailgated…or even looked at for that matter. But, is there ever a valid reason to behave the way that this man did?

I’ve seen people jump out of their cars and yell in the middle of the street and even race over to neighboring vehicles and try to pry their door open. All for what? Because someone crossed lanes in front of them without using their turn signal?

Unfortunately, road rage and anger-fueled confrontations happen frequently, and not always do they use a handgun. Sometimes they use a real one.

A few years ago, my friend was shot at twice while driving down the interstate, with one bullet lodging itself in his shoulder. He was fortunate. Had it hit him a couple inches higher or to the right, he may not have survived.

“Why can’t people just get along?”  Seriously. Why do people become so angered on the road? I understand that people feel threatened by the driving habits of others, because they feel that it puts them in harms way. Sometimes it does, but is it truly worth the confrontation or the possibility of being killed (or going to jail)?

People put themselves more at risk when they allow their anger to take over. Not only that, but it makes them look ridiculous.

Just let it go. That’s my motto. People are going to behave irresponsibly on the road. That’s just the way it is. It bothers me yes, especially when my family is in the car, but I don’t let their behavior anger me. It’s not worth it – not worth dealing with the anger or the consequences of that anger. Furthermore, I refuse to allow those people to ruin my day.

Be careful out there. You never know what state of mind the person is in who’s driving next to you. So, before you allow your anger to take over, ask yourself “Is it worth it?”