| ROAD RAGE (continued) |
| When you're flipping out because somebody trespassed against you, accidentally or on purpose, how do you know whom you're dealing with? How do you know the other person isn't bigger than you are? And even if you're six-foot-five and weigh 300 pounds, how do you know the other person isn't armed? A gun is a great equalizer. If you're on the wrong side of it, it doesn't really matter the size or sex of the person pointing it, now does it? How do you know the other person won't use that gun or whatever resources he or she has to put you promptly and permanently out of your misery? You have no way of knowing the other driver's state of mind. He or she may be drunk or high. He or she may have just been fired from a job or had a fight with his/her spouse. That driver may have already been in a foul mood and is perfectly willing to take it out on you! Even if the other driver is meek and well mannered, if he or she feels threatened, there's no telling what could happen. Few people are going to sit back and wait to see what will develop when an enraged driver jumps out of his car and stalks over to theirs. Most people will feel cornered and will defend themselves by whatever means they can. And if you live through it, you will get zero sympathy from any corner because you were the aggressor. That doesn't sit too well with law enforcement officers. We all lose our tempers from time to time, and on the road it's sometimes easy to do, especially the way some people drive. But next time somebody angers you while you're driving, stop and think. You can do a great deal of harm and, quite possibly, endanger your own life and that of your passengers, if you have any. Put things in perspective! It's not the end of the world if a mistake happens. If that mistake resulted in an accident, let the law handle it. If it didn't, then for heaven's sake, chill out! |