I was driving home one late afternoon from a lovely day at The Joshua Tree in California. I was living in North Hollywood at that time so the anticipated duration for the excursion was approximately 3 to 4 hours depending on typical California traffic.
I hadn’t made it to the interstate and was on a one lane road with speed limit of 55 mph. I was listening to my happy music section on Spotify while reflecting back on all the beautiful sites I had seen at the Joshua tree; my approval of myself for hiking the mountain to the top there and just remembering how absolutely amazing it is that I get to do what I do for a living.
While reminiscing, I visualized a traffic light in the distance and realized I was not going to make it through the green light. I slowed down to stop at the red light as I remember my driving instructor being proud of me when I did that….. While doing so, I observed, in my rear view mirror, a very high pick-up truck due to extremely large tires on it. In the back of the truck there were ATVs. I then watched this truck pull up to the passenger side of Blue Velvet.
A 20 something driver and his friend were in said truck. The driver had the window down with his head slightly out of it looking my way as if he wanted to share something important with me.
I rolled down the window on the passenger side of the Blue Velvet to hear him say “You're a dumb ass. You can't stop that fast because I can't slow down that fast in this big truck.” I was caught off guard with his response. “I’m the dumbass?” came rolling out of my mouth. He and his friend both agreed that was the case. (If I’m being honest, the last I remember, it was not my responsibility to manage the car behind me for a safety standpoint. It is the behind driver’s responsibility to be able to manage their vehicle independently.) I rolled up the window to discontinue the interaction so it would not escalate into something where I would not be safe.
Just like that, the light turned green, and he punched the accelerator in the truck so he could go ahead and be the leader of this driving escapade. Perfectly fine with me.
I did scratch my head on the drive home for a bit, thinking “did I miss something? are laws different in CA? Have driving rules changed?”
Any who, curious to hear some responses on this situation in this safe Substack environment. I’ve added a poll at the top of this story. I suspect you floated right past it (like I planned it or something). Please feel free to share your opinion to those questions to help me get some clarity on this silliness so I can sleep better at night :-)
Clearly the other guy. If you were driving his truck you’d be responsible, but HE was behind the wheel. If he hit you from behind he’d discover the law and insurance companies don’t agree with him either.
If you have a car that can’t stop very well I think that’s on you!!! Some people simply fail to take responsibility for anything!
What’s an ATV?