Road Angels

I know some of you out there probably struggle with road rage tendencies from time to time. Although I'm by no means a hot head on the road, I do occasionally find myself annoyed by the driving-under-the-speed-limit-driver, the pull-in-front-of-me-driver and the bad-at-merging-driver.

But do you ever have moments of deep thankfulness for a good driver? These moments come often for me. Because bad drivers are always before me, I find myself taking notice of the quieter more considerate drivers: the ones who let me in; the ones who follow at a decent distance; the ones who stop at red lights. I think of them as my friends. I always wish I could give them a gold star or at least a thank-you.

Today as I drove to work a bit white-knuckled because of snow-covered roads, I had one such driver behind me most of the way. He followed four car-lengths behind the entire drive, never rushing me or pushing me to go faster. Even though he could easily have passed (I was maxing out at about 35 mph), he stayed behind me, which I found a comfort in case I slid off the road. He was my snow-driving ally.

When I arrived at work, I realized he was also a fellow employee. As I walked in, I found myself wanting to thank him for his courteous driving...but I felt a little silly.

It's very easy to get angry with bad drivers, but why not focus on those who are making the roads a better place through good driving? If you are one of those drivers, I salute you!

(P.S. That is not my car, although I wish it were since it is a Mercedes-Benz. Sigh.)