Tis the Season ……
I was sitting in a mall parking lot waiting for my wife to do some Christmas shopping and whiling away the time by watching what was going on in the traffic around me. Parking spots were at a premium, people were in a hurry and an incident of road rage played out for everyone to see.
I don’t know what the driver of one vehicle had done, but the front seat passenger in the vehicle following behind it was certainly upset about it. I could clearly hear her exclaim to the male driver “I’m REALLY angry!” She then leaned over and pounded on the horn a few times for good measure.
It might seem like it at the time, but it isn’t worth fighting over a parking spot. There will be others available.
Did this woman accomplish anything? Aside from vent her anger and make a spectacle of herself, I think not. Judging by the reaction of the female driver of the car in front, she had no idea that the performance was going on, let alone that it was aimed at her.
It’s probably a good thing that the male driver was cool about it and nothing escalated. He had the social skills and common sense to realize that allowing his temper to boil over wouldn’t contribute positively to either the situation or his frame of mind.
Keeping calm, even in the face of an ignorant driver, will keep you safe during the incident and that positively impacts everyone.
Peace on earth, goodwill to man, not just at Christmas time but throughout the year contributes positively to road safety. Please have a happy and safe holiday season.
Story URL: https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/behaviour/parking-lot-road-rage
-- Tim Schewe Road Safety Advocate DriveSmartBC.ca
