Road Rage on the Rise

This thanksgiving I have one thing to be grateful for; I don't have to work for a paving company this winter. What I experienced with a job working as a traffic control person has let me to believe that we need to go back to the buggy and carriage.

Think you have witnessed or been a victim of road rage? I thought this phenomenon was an occurrence an individual witnessed or became subject to only once in a while. Boy was I wrong. I did not know the extent of the problem until I worked this past summer as a flagger directing traffic for a paving company.

You'd think that crews repairing roads would be tolerated as a minor distraction in people's lives, but the fact is many people react viciously. I've had stones thrown from vehicles on their return trip from the store or a mall. I had insults, threats, and objects flung at me. Road rage seems to intensify as the amount of traffic increases and why not, today's busy schedules create a great deal of stress. Throw in the fact that many families are financially budgeted to the maximum you've created a boiling pot on our roads and highways. Stress needs relief and roads seem to have become a favorite place to vent. I guess people feel secure within the confines of their vehicle.

Also, people concentrate on more than just the control of their vehicle. I had a woman drive through the stop sign doing at least fifty-miles an hour in a twenty-five mile an hour zone. She was talking on the cell phone, putting on lipstick, and yelling at the kids in the back seat. I understand that women are supposed to be better at multi-tasking then men but I think in this case she went a bit to far. In another incident a man driving a Mercedes failed to stop and drove right into the fresh, hot, un-rolled pavement spilling hot coffee all over his three-piece suit. Any moron should know that you can't drive a car, drink coffee, talk on a cell phone and read a newspaper at the same time, but not this individual, he jumped out of his car and commenced to swear and curse at the paving crew. If that were not enough he threatened to sue the company for damages to his suit and for the cost of cleaning his car.

I've had people yell at me as they drove passed the stop sign, " Go #!%! off!" I had bags of garbage and cups of coffee thrown at me. Through all of this I tried to remain calm, courteous and friendly but even I have a braking point. I once poked and swung the pole that attaches to the stop/slow sign when a man came at me threateningly with closed fists. He didn't want to challenge me any more though after a few sharp jabs to his stomach and ribs. He spun around, ran back to his car, and sped of in the opposite direction. I was a bit worried throughout the rest of the day that he might come back with a loaded gun. I contemplated sharpening the end of the pole to use it as spear just in case.

To think all I got for all this was $8.50 per hour. Well, I have something to say to all you road rage junkies. This Christmas holiday season do yourself, family, and society a favor. Give yourself a Christmas gift. Get a shrink!