The problem with the world is…

Self. 

And this is never more evident to me than when I’m driving on the highway.  Almost every time, I can count on there being at least one jackass…er… brother in Christ driving WAY over the speed limit who insists on tailgating the car in front of him until that poor schlep moves over and makes way for the Almighty Important One.  These drivers obviously have such an inflated sense of self-importance that they’re willing to drive in an unsafe manner to get there faster, or perhaps just to feel the rush of passing everyone else by.

A friend of mine was clipped by just such a self-inflated driver this past summer, causing his car to spin around in a 360 on the highway.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, and damage to his car was minimal.  But when the driver was brought to trial for his reckless driving and my friend showed up to testify against him, the judge let the driver off, saying my friend’s testimony was “not credible”.  The driver, btw, was a trial attorney who had practiced in front of that judge before and had a terrible driving record.  But (ostensibly) because he was in the Army reserves and was going back into active service, the judge went easy on him.  And so this guy, rather than having his license suspended (again) or revoked, and instead of maybe having the humility to change his behaviors, now feels even better about having “beaten the system” once again.  And I’ll bet his driving hasn’t improved.

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Maybe it’s just Michigan drivers who, despite our healthy 70 MPH state speed limit, feel the need to tailgate and force off the road those of us who are only driving 75.  But I’ll bet this happens in some other states as well.  And I’ll wager the problem is getting worse as more and more people care less and less about each other.

So for this Advent season, I’m going to deliberately slow down when one of these overly-aggressive drivers starts threatening me.  What’s he going to do, increase to ramming speed?

Author

  • Jason Negri

    Jason Negri received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Franciscan University and his law degree as a member of the inaugural class of Ave Maria School of Law. He is a practicing attorney and the elected Treasurer of Hamburg Township in Michigan. He is a member of Holy Spirit Church in Brighton, where he sings in the choir and serves on the parish council. He is also the founder and executive director of the Daniel Coalition, an organization of laity formed to advocate for victims of clerical sexual abuse in the Diocese of Lansing. He and his wife Samantha have 5 children and 3+ grandchildren.

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