Driving Slowly
Boy, does this make people mad
There is a curve in the road near our house that has a 25 mph speed limit. I understand why — there are houses on both sides of the street, and there are a number of children who live nearby. But this particular curve lies between two straight stretches of road where people routinely go over the 35 or 40 mph speed limit. So it is a pain to slow down for this one little curve and then speed back up again. Nobody pays any attention to the reduced speed — except me. I almost always slow way down through this curve, never going above 28.
And boy, does that tick people off.
I’ve had people slam on their brakes behind me, give me the finger, speed around me going 60 or more, and just look at me like I’m an idiot. I keep put-put-ting along. I’m not sure why this angers people so much, except that they are forced to do something that they don’t want to, even if it is the law. It reminds me a lot of the backlash to mask mandates during COVID.
I am not completely sure why this is important to me. I want the neighborhood to be safe for kids, sure. I like the idea of following the law, too. (Although the last time I drove 55 on the highway was during my driving road test, more than fifty years ago.) I assume there is a good reason for the speed that’s posted. Part of it is pure stubbornness. But there is something deeper.
I’m concerned about how our laws are being ignored or broken with impunity. Beyond the law, President Trump and his allies no longer treat other people with basic human respect. It is common now to hear name-calling in the halls of Congress, as though making fun of someone shows strength. This all has an impact on our whole society. Trump’s playground bully tactics and inclination to vilify others gives an example that gets repeated, and people begin to think that laws and good manners are no longer important. Given Trump’s pardons of whoever he agrees with, they may even believe that there will no longer be any punishment for breaking the law. Without a movement back toward adherence to standards, our behavior toward each other will continue to erode. An unregulated world is not one I want to live in. So I creep through my curve, and pay my taxes, and try to follow the rules.
