[Superman]

The other day I was in a very long waiting line to chat with a teller at my credit union. Behind me was a HUGE red-haired man. I like plenty of 'personal space' and I am impatient with idiots. The red-haired mountain was practically bumping me from behind. Leaning around me. Acting like he was considering cutting one of the 180 degree turns to get ahead of me. I'd shuffle ahead one or two inches and he'd quickly close the gap again, acting impatient.

After about 15 minutes of this (as I say, the line was unusually long) I turned and asked him if he drives the same way. "I'll bet you tailgate too, don't you?" I said. He smiled and admitted to being an 'aggressive' driver. Disgusted, I informed him that tailgating me in the teller line would not get him to a teller any quicker and that the same was true in driving, only much, much more dangerous.

Okay, the point I'm making here is that this is not, in my mind, just aggressive driving. I myself like to cover ground when driving and I am good at getting where I am going quickly, with my 911. But tailgating is dangerous with no real return on that risk. And folks who act like Red Mountain while driving cars are just dangerous bullies who get their way by threatening others.

I have great respect for our local State Patrol, candidly, and one of the things I like is their tendency to go after the folks like Red Mountain rather than the 'cheap shot' of lasering empty, straight stretches of freeway. Folks who cut across the 'core point' while merging, folks who tailgate, these are the folks I'd like to remove from the highway. They take chances with our lives and they make us nervous when their car is anywhere near ours. FWIW, I let these people get around me quickly, because then I can see them easier and they can have the ticket up the road, if there is a citation to be handed out.

Perhaps we should ban them from bank and credit union lines as well.

------------------
'83 SC