To the person who just so angrily passed me for going the speed limit:
I was once like you.
With the radio up and the windows down, 15 miles over the speed limit still felt slow. The freedom of the road no doubt brought out my inner racecar driver. For some odd reason, I had a great sense of pride in driving too fast. I even bought a Tinker Bell bumper sticker with the phrase, “Eat My Pixie Dust,” for all of the “speed limit goers” to gawk at as I passed them. Instead, I was the one doing the eating … and a $200 speeding ticket did not taste too good.
That was the old me.
Now, as I look through my rearview mirror, I am appalled. How haven’t you been caught for your reckless ways and smacked with a ticket?
Multitasking while driving is not a good idea. Yes, I’m talking to you, Mrs. “This Text Can’t Wait Until After I’m Parked.” No matter how “urgent” a text it may be, it can wait.
Not to mention, you are literally riding my bumper! I’m going the posted speed limit; there is no need to drive right behind me. Not giving me any space isn’t going to make me want to drive any faster. In fact, it’s going to make me want to continue going the speed limit just to prove a point. What if you looked back down at your phone for a second? What if, for that second, I took my foot off the accelerator? Is riding right on me and texting simultaneously worth a 50-car pile-up?
I don’t think so.
Why are you in such a hurry anyway? We all have some place we need to be, but nothing is worth swerving in and out of traffic like a maniac! This could maybe be justified if you actually used those nifty turn signals, but you don’t. This isn’t the "Fast and Furious"; this is real life. While you made such an effort to pass me, I’ll see you at the same red light we both will ironically be stopped at.
Do those recurring signs along the highway about the number of traffic deaths being up by nearly 20 percent mean nothing to you? Does texting, riding people’s bumpers, and being in such a hurry justify taking someone’s life or even your own?
As I share the roads with you, all I’m asking is for you to be a little more cautious -- for yourself and the people around you. Put down the phone, give people some space, and slow down.
Maybe all you need is a $200 ticket to be a born-again driver like me.
