On my way home tonight, I noticed that the traffic slowed much earlier along my trek than usual. My first thought was that I'd left earlier than usual so there were more cars on the road. Nope, it was 5:16, which is about normal for me. Finally, I could see that there was a wreck in one of the main lanes. As I approached, I saw another car behind the accident, blinker on, trying to get around the mess. Folks, do you think anyone let this lady in?
No. Of course not. They're all in such a damn rush to get home that they forgot the rules of the road. So I let her in, and I was saddened to see that it took her a minute to realize that I was going to stop and allow her to merge. She was suprised that someone would let a minute of her precious life go by so another person could rejoin the moving traffic.
This is ridiculous. We all have to share the road, and there's an absolute social contract to driving. We all know the basic rules: Stay in your lane, signal your turns, for the love of Pete, don't drive drunk...but you know there are many more subtle rules. You're supposed to pay attention. You're supposed to know that we're all in this gridlocked nightmare together. You're supposed to take turns.
So now, when someone breaks these rules, I yell out the window, "You broke the contract!"
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