Anyone who drives regularly sees impatient drivers. Common examples are those who tailgate (and even honk and flash their brights) to “push” someone forward or out of their way. Or those drivers who fly by you on the left so he can cut in front of you to exit a highway. Most of these maneuvers have very little “return on investment”. They may result in the aggressive driver getting what he or she wants, but the savings in time is often just a few seconds.
So why do motorists engage in such dangerous activity when there is so little gain? They are obviously ignoring the serious risks when they engage in such maneuvers. Otherwise, they likely wouldn’t be doing these things.
Case in point: Last week, a San Francisco driver of this Porsche 911 tried to get around a line of stopped cars by sneaking through a coned off area. The concrete may have looked solid but it was actually fresh cement!
The Porsche sustained $1,000s in damages to its undercarriage and brakes. The driver remained in the Porsche while 6 construction workers labored to extricate him and his vehicle. The driver claimed that he remained in the driver seat to avoid damaging his interior but probably he wanted to also minimize his embarrassment.
Any lessons here?
6 Comments. Leave new
Mathew,
As I always state, how much time is saved by the aggressive driving when it goes all wrong? It is just easier to leave 10 minutes earlier to get to your destination! When is the last time someone complained that you arrived 10 minutes earlier than expected, should nothing slow down your trip?
Concrete Tech,
Good advice and, your right, I often see really dangerous maneuvers that “save” only a few seconds of time.
Matthew Weiss
Why am I not surprised that this incident involved a luxury car? I have a theory about why rich men and women are so impatient behind the wheel: At work, they are in charge. They say jump, and their employees say, “how high”. But once work is over, they must share the road with the lower class minions, and it pisses them off.
Mark,
I can’t disagree with you.
Matthew Weiss
It might have been the driver’s fault to fall under a newly-constructed road, but isn’t it also the responsibility of those who constructed the road to put a warning sign so it wouldn’t be leading to severe car accidents?
Amelia,
Take a look at the photos. It seems that there were plenty of warnings posted.
Matthew Weiss