I cannot help noticing all the things that aggravate me in traffic. Day in and day out, I maintain a relatively calm demeanor. I try not to let too much get under my skin, and I’m usually pretty successful in that endeavor as long as I don’t get behind the wheel. Driving on city streets, however, can blow my cool in a matter of seconds.
I think it’s all about the breach of social contract. When some f$&*ing idiot wanders into my lane because his phone call to his golfing buddy takes precedence over his need to avoid killing me, I just lose it. When some lost soul decides it’s preferable to stop in the middle of the street until they figure things out rather than waste a bit of gas circling the block, I begin to foam at the mouth. When someone runs a red light or a stop sign, merges onto a freeway and makes no effort to accelerate, blocks driveways or parked cars, or any of the other thousand-and-one things people do on the roads every day, I am moved to act as judge, jury and executioner in defense of society in general.
Why is the driver behind me honking and cursing at me?