When I think about it practically, it was really such a small incident in my day… but it got me mad to the point that I was actually trembling when I got out of my van. Ok, so that was partly because I needed to eat, too. In any case, I want to type about what happened, and maybe that’ll finish getting it out of my bloodstream.
As I was driving back from the pediatrician’s where Branwen had her one year appointment (she’s doing great, btw, but hated the shots), I came to a point in the road where I have to cross some railroad tracks. Let me set the scene a bit more… the road is one lane in either direction. The tracks, which are used daily though I don’t know the schedule, are for freight trains and they cross the road a little ways before you reach a traffic light (there’s probably room for 6 cars or so between the tracks and the light). Not far past the tracks, there’s a parking lot entrance on the right, and some people like to cut through the parking lot to get to the road rather than wait for the light to turn green.
I should probably remind you to keep in mind that I’m coming back from an appointment where my one year old daughter made it abundantly clear that I was torturing her, so I wasn’t in the best emotional state.
The line of cars extending from the traffic light was pretty long, so it was taking several green lights to get everyone through. I watched the car in front of me pull across the railroad tracks, but when he stopped his back bumper was about even with the white line on the other side of the road indicating where people should stop their cars to be safely off of the tracks. So, what did I do, irritating old-fogey driver that I am? I stopped behind the white line in my lane of traffic so that I wouldn’t be dangerously near the tracks. Before I go on, I will state that had I pulled across I would not have been straddling the tracks. I would have had my back bumper within a foot of them, though.
I saw nothing wrong with what I had done, and was consequently startled when someone behind me started beeping their horn. I didn’t do anything because the situation hadn’t changed for me. The light ahead was still red, no one had moved, and the train tracks were still quite clearly before me. I figured they’d just deal with it, but next thing I know, an SUV two vehicles behind me whips into the oncoming lane of traffic, goes around me, crosses the tracks, and pulls to the right of the people sitting at the light so that he can turn into the parking lot. Well, I was irritated, but the thought that went through my head was, “At least he was turning right.” But it didn’t stop there! The lady behind me started beeping, then SHE pulled into the oncoming lane of traffic and started passing me. ARE THESE PEOPLE INSANE???? I actually rolled down my window and yelled, “I AM NOT GOING TO STOP ON THE TRACKS!” as if that did any good. She didn’t even turn right. She just pulled across the tracks and sat there, all of one car ahead of where she would have been had she just stayed in place. Her car did fit a little better in the spot than my minivan would have, but it still would have been bumped by the train signal arm when it came down. Oh, and she was in front of me from that point until she turned off into a shopping center parking lot.
So, I’ve been working very hard on the whole mercy thing, and I find I can usually think of reasonable stories that would explain why nice, average, kind-hearted people (yes, I’m trying to be positive here) would do seemingly ridiculous (or in some cases mean) things. I’m having trouble thinking of reasons why these two drivers would have done something that seems so… well… stupid. Why in the world would you risk your life (even if it’s a moderate risk) to get ahead of someone who’s sitting waiting behind some railroad tracks at a red light? Perhaps the second driver thought, after the first one passed me, that I was broken down and she should go around… but I don’t think so. Maybe they both had emergencies and needed to rush to get to the… um… dry cleaners! Maybe a herd of wildebeasts was chasing them!
I don’t do this often, but I will open this post up for comments because I’d honestly like to hear if anyone has any idea why someone would drive like that.
Well, at least writing this all out helped a good bit. Now maybe I can settle down and figure out how to get Alexis to finish her two bites of turkey wrap. 😛
2 responses so far ↓
1 Bridgette // Sep 23, 2004 at 5:30 pm
Well, I do remember someone telling me part of the driving problem in Virginia is that most drivers are still on their two-year permits…
Also, you have to remember that you have a lot of foreign drivers in the area, some of which still drive according to the laws of their nation of origin.
And then there’s the whole psychic phenomena thing. Yes, that’s probably it. You were just giving off so many negative vibes because of Branwen being upset that the drivers around you were afraid you were going to go nuts, pull out an automatic weapon, and open fire. They were just trying to get out of the way.
Honestly, who knows. Lots of people do extremely irrational things when driving, particularly if they’re in a hurry and stuck in traffic.
2 Joel // Sep 24, 2004 at 4:04 pm
Hmm…maybe the second driver thought you were one of those train enthusiasts, and that you were just going to sit there until one came along so you could take pictures of it. Or maybe she figured you’re just one of those weird people with a fear of getting hit by a freight train while sitting on the train tracks. You know, some people and their silly hangups… 😉