On Reading Minds: Boring Tales of Traffic
Hello, darling. I missed you.
Earlier this week on my way in to work I was faced with a traffic situation wherein a threesome of cars had crunched together in the center lanes on southbound 275 around 8 mile road. Nothing unusual. The backup extended all the way back to I96 as there are no exits between 96 and 8 mile. Again, nothing earth-shattering. The crash was well-reported even on the non-traffic focused radio channel I tuned in. All cars were getting by either on the left shoulder or the far right lane. I chose to stay to the right, and as I approached the scene of the accident I could see that the tow trucks had already loaded the debris and the state police cruisers were beginning to clear out. I remained to the right, as many cars who had not were forced to merge at the last second even though it was obvious no one was getting by through the middle. I did my good deed for the day by allowing a little BMW to squeeze in front of me right at the last second. Complicating the right side was the merging traffic from 8 mile road entering the freeway southbound. Many cars were zooming up the ramp to merge to my right. At just the moment I passed the accident scene, a Lincoln MKS zoomed up at full speed, muscling into the bumper to bumper line in front of the BMW. Just then the whole thing cleared as the state trooper merged in behind me and all the lanes opened again.
It was a weird feeling. The traffic behind me released into the center lanes as the trooper pulled up behind me in line.
This is when I wished I knew what was going on in the minds of the drivers around me. It appeared to me that the impatient BMW driver, who was clearly not the model of civility, had taken offense to the Lincoln. He tailgated the Lincoln, following it across the several lanes of traffic. The State Trooper behind me turned on its lights, looked as if it was going to zip down the right shoulder and exit at 7 mile, but then whipped out around me, chasing down the BMW at full speed. The supporting state trooper who was clearing the left side of the freeway, and had similarly merged into traffic, blared his lights and siren and cut fully across the freeway to also pull over the BMW.
This is where mind reading would have been useful. What crime had the BMW committed that warranted such attention? Beyond being an asshole, I didn't see it. The Lincoln was the more dangerous in my opinion, speeding, cutting off, changing lanes without signaling. The vindictive BMW was reacting emotionally. I guess it's like sports, where they always call the foul on the guy who hits back. He's the Rasheed Wallace of the freeway, that BMW driver. T him up!
Or, could it possibly be something completely different? Did the rash behavior draw attention to him, causing the trooper to run his plate and discover him wanted for back child support? Did I aid a known criminal by allowing him to merge?
These are all questions that will remain unanswered, as I cannot read minds.
So there. That's a sample of the inane thoughts that cross my mind. I cannot share this kind of crap on Facebook. So, glad I caught you around. Call me sometime.
Earlier this week on my way in to work I was faced with a traffic situation wherein a threesome of cars had crunched together in the center lanes on southbound 275 around 8 mile road. Nothing unusual. The backup extended all the way back to I96 as there are no exits between 96 and 8 mile. Again, nothing earth-shattering. The crash was well-reported even on the non-traffic focused radio channel I tuned in. All cars were getting by either on the left shoulder or the far right lane. I chose to stay to the right, and as I approached the scene of the accident I could see that the tow trucks had already loaded the debris and the state police cruisers were beginning to clear out. I remained to the right, as many cars who had not were forced to merge at the last second even though it was obvious no one was getting by through the middle. I did my good deed for the day by allowing a little BMW to squeeze in front of me right at the last second. Complicating the right side was the merging traffic from 8 mile road entering the freeway southbound. Many cars were zooming up the ramp to merge to my right. At just the moment I passed the accident scene, a Lincoln MKS zoomed up at full speed, muscling into the bumper to bumper line in front of the BMW. Just then the whole thing cleared as the state trooper merged in behind me and all the lanes opened again.
It was a weird feeling. The traffic behind me released into the center lanes as the trooper pulled up behind me in line.
This is when I wished I knew what was going on in the minds of the drivers around me. It appeared to me that the impatient BMW driver, who was clearly not the model of civility, had taken offense to the Lincoln. He tailgated the Lincoln, following it across the several lanes of traffic. The State Trooper behind me turned on its lights, looked as if it was going to zip down the right shoulder and exit at 7 mile, but then whipped out around me, chasing down the BMW at full speed. The supporting state trooper who was clearing the left side of the freeway, and had similarly merged into traffic, blared his lights and siren and cut fully across the freeway to also pull over the BMW.
This is where mind reading would have been useful. What crime had the BMW committed that warranted such attention? Beyond being an asshole, I didn't see it. The Lincoln was the more dangerous in my opinion, speeding, cutting off, changing lanes without signaling. The vindictive BMW was reacting emotionally. I guess it's like sports, where they always call the foul on the guy who hits back. He's the Rasheed Wallace of the freeway, that BMW driver. T him up!
Or, could it possibly be something completely different? Did the rash behavior draw attention to him, causing the trooper to run his plate and discover him wanted for back child support? Did I aid a known criminal by allowing him to merge?
These are all questions that will remain unanswered, as I cannot read minds.
So there. That's a sample of the inane thoughts that cross my mind. I cannot share this kind of crap on Facebook. So, glad I caught you around. Call me sometime.