Bad boys, bad boys... whatcha gon' do?

I was driving to work this morning down a wide two-lane road near an elementary school. A school bus was stopped on the opposite side, its flashing red stop sign extended, waiting for the children to board.

Traffic coming from behind the bus had stopped and was waiting patiently. There were also two cars in front of me in my lane who were giving the school-bus-as-a-mobile-stop-sign law its proper due and waiting patiently. Well, the first driver (closest to the bus) was waiting patiently. The second driver apparently decided that 30 seconds was too long of a wait and chose to go around the first car on the shoulder.

It's too bad that she was in such a small car. Had she been able to see around the mini-van in front of her before passing it, she would have seen the black-and-white Highway Patrol cruiser sitting just half a block down the street.

I'm pretty sure she noticed when he flipped his lights on and motioned for her to pull over though. Now she's really going to be late for work.

Dilemma, part 4

One of the roads I have to drive on to get home from work has been under construction forever. There's a part where the left lane ends and all the traffic has to merge right. I know from experience (since this road has been under construction forever) that if I stay in the left lane until it ends and then merge right, I can save a couple of minutes.

The people who have chosen to merge into the right lane early often do not appear to appreciate this tactic. I can see why. They have been sitting in traffic for some time, watching people like me zip by and merge much further up the line. Occasionally, they try to refuse to let me in. Their disadvantage is that they are not moving and I am, so I can partially wedge myself into any newly created opening, thus securing my spot in front of them before they can move forward to block me out.

My dilemma is two-part:

1. Is it wrong to pass up all the people who have been sitting in the right lane and merge in when my lane ends? My guts says I should have to wait just as long as anyone else, but my mouth says, "Suckers!"

2. Should I refrain from waving a "thank you for letting me in" wave to a driver that I merged in front of, knowing full well that if he was in a position to shut me out, he would have?

Discuss.

Open letter to the guy causing all the traffic in Sacramento

Dear Guy Causing All The Traffic In Sacramento:

First off, let me apologize for calling you a guy. I have no idea if you are a guy or not -- I never saw your face.

What I did see was your truck. Your white truck, you know, the one that looks like all the other white trucks on the road.

I followed you down Highway 99 one afternoon. The traffic was heavy in all the usual places. Brakelights were illuminated as far as the eye could see. It wasn't quite bumper to bumper, but it was close. When we passed Florin Road, I expected the congestion to ease, like it normally does.

"There must be an accident," I mused as we continued to creep along. I couldn't see around your big truck but I trusted that you were hitting your brakes so frequently because you could see the traffic stopped for miles ahead.

It didn't occur to me to pass you because I figured with all that traffic up there, what's the point?

When I finally decided to go around you to see for myself what the hold-up was, I was surprised to find that you were the traffic. You were following the car in front of you too closely (for what reason I can't imagine -- just go around him!) and slamming on your brakes the instant before you plowed into his back fender. Speed up, get too close, SLAM ON BRAKES, speed up, get too close, SLAM ON BRAKES. Repeat 200 times. Ahead of your bumper-buddy, there were no cars. Not for miles.

You fooled me, I admit. You also fooled the 7 miles of patient drivers behind you who thought, "There must be bad traffic up there. Look at those brakelights."

Bad traffic, no. One bad driver, yes.

Please, sir (or ma'am) don't come around here no more. Highway 99 traffic stinks enough already without you.

Regards,
Andrea