Me, First. No, I Insist.
This article was inspired by a recent visit to a small, old New England town. An older and slightly larger place than here, where long ago the winding streets were laid out on hills for strollers and horse carriages, and everything ran to the sea. Those roads are barely wide enough for bicycles yet here we are in the twenty-first century, most people driving big rigs and SUVS, and many people in a rush all the time. (Saying nothing of the large number on their phones while driving) I did see many occasions of courtesy and an ethos of yielding, but it was hardly a given, and it’s the bad apple that spoils the barrel.
On several instances I witnessed ’accidents’. In these cases, that term is a gross misnomer. They weren’t accidents at all, they were pushy people driving killing machines and for whatever reason, demanded or assumed the right to go first, even if the protocol of the road didn’t warrant that. I see this all the time, especially on my motorcycle, where a larger vehicle will bully me with its mass, saying in effect, my metal is heavier, so back down or pay the price. In psych terms, compensation.
