The Cause Of Most Road Rage In WNY
More and more people are going back to the workplace, which means more people are back on the roads, which also means road rage is back. The number one reason for road rage here in Western New York? 'That Guy.' The guy who drives in the passing lane - the left lane - and doesn't move over for traffic.
Luckily for the past 14 months or so, road rage hasn't really been an issue here in Buffalo. Unless during quarantine, you were bottlenecked getting into the bathroom. That's sure to cause a few more problems than anyone wants to deal with. But now that Governor Cuomo has said the whole state will have a major reopening starting May 19th (subject to still maintaining the six-foot rule), you can see the traffic getting heavier all the time.
Driving in on the 33, the 190, or even the 290, you've probably seen it happen already; a driver can't get around another car in front of them, so they're tailgating, flashing his lights, and probably screaming obscenities. Road rage; I see it happen a lot just as you're merging from the 190 to the 290, headed back towards the 90.
I am convinced that road rage all stems from one type of person on the road; 'That Guy.' You know 'That Guy.' You've seen 'That Guy.' You may even be 'That Guy.' That person who sits in the left-hand lane, even though there are seven cars behind him wanting to get around, refusing to move to the right.
You have to wonder what's going through their minds. Did they not learn the left lane is the passing lane? Do they just not care, or are they doing it just to annoy everyone else?
I'm sure there are as many reasons as people who do it, but something I learned earlier this week; some believe they're the judges of the road. They think they're in the right, and you're going to drive the speed they consider appropriate.
Consider Chad from Amherst, who called into the show late last week to tell me I was the wrong one.
Or, Mike, who intentionally keeps people from passing.
I'm not here to tell you how to live or what you can and can't do. But out on the roads, can't we just have a little more live and let live and less it's my way or the highway (no pun intended)?
Please, for all of our sanity out on the roads, don't be 'That Guy.'