Aggressive Drivers, from the Aggressive Driver's Point of View

["George S Achorn III" <coolidge@nicom.com>]

	I just read a great article in last week's Autoweek on Dateline's or
whoever's Aggressive Drivers piece. I remember this one. It was the show
where they got on an interstate in LA and sat in the passing lane going
65mph and were surprised people got annoyed.
	Aggressive Driving has been shown to be quite an epidemic in the US
(according to dateline). Here in DC there was an incident of 3 out of 4
drivers dying in an accident involving two cars chasing each other at high
speeds (on the George Washington Parkway). 
	This got me to thinking. Besides wanting to chase people down and hurt
them, I have the rest of the symptoms of an aggressive driver. Still, I
have several ideas that I think would curb aggressive driving. I know I'm
preaching to the choir here but I thought I'd share it with you. I've found
a few things that piss me off the most when I am in my VW.
	1. Use Your Turn Signal- I have been cutoff atleast 1000 times in the last
month by people and 998 times were by someone who just changed lanes
inadvertantly in front of me without signal. I definitely get most pissed
off when someone doesn't signal. HAve you ever had this scenario happen to
you? You are driving along on a highway and a car just changes lanes in
front of you and you have to brake or go into the median to miss him. When
you honk or flash your beams or anything then they get pissed at you and
slow down. It's a wonder why people get pissed.
	2. Keep non-passers out of the damn left lane. If you got rid of left lane
cruisers IMHO you would alleviate alot of problems. 
	3. If you are waiting to pull out or change lanes and there is one car
moving fast that will be cut off by you and no one behind that car, have
the courtesy to let that one car pass.
	4. Last - enforce traffic laws on taxis and pizza delivery people. I would
think the District of Columbia could curb the national debt on those things
alone.
	
	My conclusion in all of this is that one day I will get tagged as an
aggressive driver while Joe Blow drives 55mph in the passing lane, and he
will have just cut me off without signalling. I figure the reason these
people do not signal is because they are sick of forgetting their signal is
on. You know the guy cruising down the road with his signal on and not
turning or anything.
	Later-G