
February 28, 2019 · 0 Comments
In two separate incidents within 20 minutes of each other, I was faced with the aggressive behaviour of road rage. These situations could’ve cost me my life or at the very least, my safety.
Two different drivers were tailgating me briefly before they decided to aggressively pull out from behind me, drive up beside me and then proceed back into my lane before they were fully ahead of me. Neither of them were safely in front of me nor did they signal to indicate they were coming back into my lane. By their actions, it forced me to slam on my brakes as well as swerve into the centre turning lane on Highway 10 in Caledon, just to avoid a collision. Aside from the obvious dangers of this incident, I need to mention that the winds were gusting at 90+ km/hr, there were white-out conditions with zero visibility in some spots, blowing snow and some snow drifts across the roadway.
To make my situation even worse, I was tired and on my way home from a night shift I had just worked in Toronto. So to you, those impatient drivers, please forgive me for driving slower than some of the other motorists. Please accept my apology for driving cautiously so I could arrive home safely to my two young children. I’m sorry that my inconsiderate driving abilities were such an inconvenience to you. The five seconds of your time that you saved while running me off the road probably made a world of difference to your day. The fact that you put not only me, but yourself and other motorists in danger by your actions probably go unnoticed by you. Those precious 5 seconds that you saved could’ve cost me my life, all because I was driving according to the weather conditions in the lane I felt comfortable in, given all of my circumstances.
Perhaps next time you could suck up your anger, go around me like a considerate human being without trying to run me off the road or into oncoming traffic. in the future when your blood starts boiling at the annoyance of another driver, take a deep breath, change lanes, flip them the bird and be on your disgruntled way. Oh, and maybe sign up for some anger management classes too! Happy driving…
Sam Coutts
Orangeville resident