So, you are driving along, happy as a lark, dropping son 2 off at pre-season training at 6.30am. Wind in your hair, feeling good and fresh. You are coming down the right hand lane (Aussie lanes) and as you pass the Tradie on your left you notice his engine rev – as you have your windows down. You realise he is trying to hurry now to close the gap so you can’t get in. But there is loads of room, no problem. Then you go to merge again to the left when the lines allow you and he puts the foot down. He is not going to let you beat him, he wants you to know he is the more important, so he gets as close to your back as he can, just so you know.
You have right of way, you are doing a good speed, you are doing nothing wrong, but he is up your clacker. So, he rides that bumper of mine until there are 2 lanes again and boom around he goes. I glance over to get a look and he is glaring at me shaking his head. It’s less than a finger but more than a glance. And it’s a gutless show of aggression that irks me so much.
I should have prefaced this story by saying – as you will learn – I drive a lot. For the past five years I have clocked phenomenal miles. On week-ends it was nothing to drive 1000 kilometres for sport. During the week for the past two years I was a sales rep on the road 8 hours a day. Before that I drove 200 kilometres each week night and another 600 kilometres on week-ends for sons sport and schooling so I am not a novice.
I should also say we have 10 ‘tradies’ working on our building at the moment and they are glorious young men with great character so I am not targeting tradies – it’s just that he was one so I used that term.
Well ‘pinhead’ as I shall call him really had no reason at all to be so aggressive. He was off to work and wasn’t happy about it, I get that. And he felt he had a little win by me seeing him shake his head. I get that too and I realise I gave him that satisfaction, but I do hope he saw my Mona Lisa smile as he went past and I do hope that infuriated him just a little more.
I have noticed many times that when you pass pinheads on a motorway, there is a roar from beside you and they decide they would suddenly like to go faster – not sure if it’s my car, my blond hair but I suspect everyone is a target. It is like the old saying everyone becomes a racing car driver when you hit double lanes after travelling 60 klms per hour for the past 20 minutes.
I really do believe the way people drive does show their character. P Platers – They have the world at the feet – I go between loathing them for their wild abandon to being jealous of the same thing. They come in many forms – the aggressive young woman P Plater which the coast is full of and the young lad with the long hair who just wants speed – and there always seem to be hundreds on the roads at the Sunny Coast. They are so oblivious to anyone but themselves, you are a thorn in their side and they will mow you down. Give them an audience in the car with them and they become dangerous. Although others just want to go fast and play loud revolting music. And there are others I have seen who have a fantastic command of the vehicle and so are obviously well taught and earn your respect. These drivers really don’t display agro so much, just impatience as they have places to go and things to see.
It’s the middle age men and women who I think are the worst. Everybody feels they are so important and their needs must be met first. I always feel sorry for anyone like my parents – driving for 60 years, good drivers but not wanting to go 100kmh in a built up area who just want to get from A to B without abuse. The worst human error you can make apparently, is not being exactly sure where you are going in a tourist town and slowing down to make a turn – that gets you the ‘bird’ plus the beep of the horn plus some abuse – it’s pretty terrible . I just want to say, locals – you make your living from tourists, no tourists means no jobs, no new infrastructure, no world class Uni’s or sporting facilities, no more Shopping Centres and no great bottle shops, so chill out and allow tourists to be tourists, give unsure or elderly drivers a little slack- after all – they are responsible for your town being amazing and most of the things you enjoy are thanks to them- show some respect. Xx mwah
