So yesterday was the last straw. I was driving home on an interstate from a beautiful state park, having spent the day swimming and relaxing with a good friend, and was tailgated once again. It could have easily led to a horrible accident — the worst tailgate experience I’ve had to date since putting a RESIST sticker on my back window back in February.
I have a fairly pleasant 25-minute daily commute, do the usual grocery runs and errands, and take at least one road trip per month. More so in the nicer months. I started to notice driver aggression more and more and chalked it up to the Trump Presidency and everyone being at their wits ends. I didn’t put two and two together (Trump Presidency + my sticker) until the last few times of what I now believe to be politically charged and very dangerous road rage.
I’ve been tailgated on the freeway more frequently, and not in typical fashion where I’ve spaced out in the passing lane or where someone is in a hurry and wanting me to go over the speed limit as I’m passing a line of cars. Pick-up trucks and commercial trucks have come within a few feet of my bumper, stayed on me, or backed off, then repeated. These have mostly been pick-up trucks with anti-HRC stickers or entire propaganda tailgate wraps, or various Trump stickers.
I’ve done the best I can in getting out of their way although in their passing they’ve shown their colors: slowing down as they come up next to me and then speeding up and swerving quickly in front; after swerving quickly in front hitting the gas and leaving a cloud of black exhaust; flipping me off as they pass and tapping their brakes repeatedly as they swerve in front of me before escalating to way above the speed limit and driving out of sight. And then two weeks ago it was pedestrian rage. I was in a lovely beach town and stopped at a cross walk. There were a lot of people crossing in front and back of me. I felt my car shake and a loud thump. Thinking I was hit, I quickly looked in my rear view mirror. There was a father pushing a baby carriage while flipping off my sticker. Not sure what the thump was as there was no damage when I got out and looked. Possibly he hit my window with his fist.
Yesterday was the worst. A pick-up truck got so close to my rear bumper that I could not see his bumper. I was on an incline and passing a commercial truck. I was already 5 mph over the speed limit and did not intend to go any faster. I was making steady and safe progress. I did eventually pass the commercial truck while the pick-up rode my bumper the entire time. Approximately 2 minutes. Finally in the the other lane, I expected the truck to speed pass me. No. He then fell in behind me again remaining close to my bumper. He did this for a few minutes before aggressively passing me and then swerving in front of me — on a decline with a steep cliff, a tiny guard rail and curvy corners requiring me to reduce my speed yet with the commercial truck gaining speed behind me. I sucked in my breath, honked, screamed (as did my passenger) and white knuckled the wheel. I knew I was going to crash.
I’m not sure what saved me from an accident, but he drove off and I eventually exited onto a rest stop area spending about 15 minutes trying to calm down and catch my breath. My passenger and I both realized we should have gotten his plates but we were so shocked and frightened that our thinking was paralyzed. We did have the make and color and she called it in.
This morning I removed the RESIST sticker from my back window. I’m not going to put my life in danger with these idiots on the road. There are enough things out there causing people to boil over. It seems a sticker can be the last straw.
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WOW! Rec list. Did not expect that. Super cool.