When I got married, on New Year’s Day, I moved in to the house my wife had been living in already for over a year. She lived an hour away from where I was living when we met and while we dated. Since I decided to keep my job for the forseeable future, I gained an hour commute each way every day. Fortunately, the drive goes the opposite direction as typical commuter traffice.
This morning I had a guy come flying up behind me on my way to work. It’s not terribly unsual. I was in the left lane doing a comfortable 75 mph (in a 70 zone) and he was coming up so quickly that I figured I was looking at an accident if I moved over for him, because he’d be moving over too. He had to be doing close to 90. As he passed, I wished to myself that there was a cop nearby. No sooner did I think that than did I see another vehicle flying up behind me, but far enough back that moving over to let him by was the thing to do. As he passed, I saw that I got my wish.
That’s the biggest thing I hate about my drive. I usually drive at around 75mph (I really don’t want to tarnish my as-of-yet ticketless record), and that’s usually not fast enough for half the people I encounter on the road. Many will hang behind me if I’m in the left lane and pass me when I move over, which I usually do as soon as I finish passing slower traffic. Some, however, seem to think they own the road and I am violating their personal property rights by “being in their way”.
Minnesota doesn’t reserve the left lane for passing only, as many states do. However, it is still common sense that slower traffice should drive in the right lane. As a result, a lot of Minnesota drivers seem to think that they own the left lane, since no one else could possibly have as strong a claim on being in a hurry as them.
Fortunately for my health, I abandoned the road-rage mentality years ago. Getting “there” a minute earlier wasn’t worth the extra risk of an accident or being run off the road by someone bent on their own form of vigilante justice because of an unnecessary “hand gesture”. I just leave a minute earlier, and try not to get too annoyed by those who couldn’t care less about anyone but themselves.
A phrase I’ve heard since I was a tot is “Minnesota Nice.” Anyone who says that we have “Minnesota Nice” in this state has never been to any other state.
I can’t figure out why when I drive in to work, I go 71 in the 65 zone and end up passing a lot of people, but when the speed limit drops to 55 (on the same highway), and I slow down to 62, I’m suddenly the slowest car on the road.
People annoy me, especially when they’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.