How personal do you take it?
I’ve met thousands of people over the years and most of them were nice people who took problems in stride. They were easy to get along with and fun to spend time with. What type of personality do you have? Do you let things slide off your back or do you take things personally? I’ve joked around with people who get a little intense with their sports and ask how their anger management course is going. They’ll smile and chuckle and realize they were getting too worked up over what was happening. Are you like that?
I see drivers do the same things. I notice how they get worked up when another driver does something wrong; especially if they did it to that person. For example, how do you feel when a driver tailgates you? How much does it bother you? I know they’re putting you, your passengers and themselves at a high risk of injury, but do you take it personally? Do you feel they were thinking “I need to tailgate this driver so they will move out of my way.”?
During the first season of Canada’s Worst Driver, we had a participant who thought all the other drivers on the road were out to get him. He took their actions as a personal attack to him. What made this person think they were the envy of all drivers on the road? It took time, but we finally made him realize that not all drivers had a high enough skill level to drive safely at all times. When they had cut him off in traffic, it was mainly because they didn’t know how to do a proper lane change.
If you notice someone weaving in and out of traffic and they pass you, do you feel angry about their actions, even though they have now passed you and you are no longer at a risk from their actions? You need to let it go. They’re gone now and won’t affect you or your actions. You need to stop taking these actions personally. We don’t know why they were weaving in and out of traffic. Perhaps a loved one was taken to hospital and they were trying to get there. Perhaps they were late for work and were trying to get there. Whatever reason, it’s their reason and it doesn’t imply that it’s a personal attack on you as a person or as a driver.
Just yesterday, I saw a driver in the left lane of a two lane left turn. When the light turn green, he then cuts off the person in the next lane who was turning left then cuts off the person going straight (I was about 6 cars behind this one), just to be on the highway first. I wondered why he was in such a hurry as to potentially cause a fairly big collision.
What I didn’t understand is after he got the highway on which I was also taking, I passed him pretty quickly because he was going about 85 while I was at the speed limit.
Now it appears that he wasn’t in a hurry after all. He must not have thought of the consequences of his action and may have decided at the last minute he wanted the highway. So instead of turning left and getting on the highway at the next on ramp, which would have maybe cost him only two minutes and the safest thing to do, he took a dangerous action that could have been pretty costly.
As you mentioned, we don’t know why they’re doing it and it may not even be what we first think.
When I started driving, my father always reminded me that it was my choice whether I let someone else you’ll more than likely never see again decide if I have a good day or bad day. Better to have a good day and let it go.