Hit Me, Please
I must have a "hit me" sign on the back of my truck. A couple of weeks ago I was involved in a minor fender bender in a parking lot. It's one of those where both of us were backing up and hit each other. The insurance claim jury is still out, but I anticipate it will come back 50-50 fault. My bumper is scratched, but nothing serious. We'll probably get it fixed out of pocket. Last night I was driving south on Hwy 41 near the Neenah-Menasha-Appleton area of things. It was foggy and rainy; the road weren't slick, but it was only a matter of time. I was in the far left lane of the three lane road. As I was passing a small SUV in the center lane, another car was following me so close that I couldn't see their head lights or most of their hood. I know I have a big truck, but tailgating is best done when I am parked at Lambeau field during daylight hours. As I moved in front of the small SUV in the center lane, I turned on my signal to indicate I was moving. I was really uncomfortable having someone following me that close, but it was evident that they were in more of a hurry than I was. I moved over, only to find yet another car was behind me in the center lane -- not the small SUV but a mid-sized sedan. I have no idea where they came from. All I know is I kept watching my mirrors and checking my blind spots. I assume that they were in the right hand lane and switched to the center about the same time I did. After the first tailgater was passed me, I moved back into the left lane. The mid-size sedan kept tailgating me with the same furousity of the original tailgater. As she drove by me, she flipped me off and screamed, "You -ucking -itch." I assume she meant me, and not the person to whom she spoke on the cell phone. She then whipped around another car in the right hand lane, moved in front of them and drove probably an 1/8 of a mile to exit at the Neenah Wal-Mart. I really don't know who would have been at fault if we had hit one another. From my point of view it was her fault. I'm sure she would have said that I didn't signal and she moved into the lane before I did, so I should have seen her. Maybe I should have. I have insurance and they are accidents, not on-purposes. What really bothers me is her reaction, which has become typical of every driver on the road. Few people use turn signals. Lane changes are random. Talking while driving is prevalent. Yet, I'm a -ucking -itch because I did everything possible to make sure that the lane was clear before I moved, including using my signal? Please, lady. Take responsibility for your actions. I was ahead of you, using my signal to indicate my intention to change lanes. You were far enough behind me that, if we had hit, you would have hit my bumper. I'm just going to have to remove that "hit me" sign. I just hope I can find it.
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