On Civil Obedience: Driving the Speed Limit
While working at home during the pandemic my office had a view of our street. Cars speeding up and down a residential street well above the 25 miles per hour speed limit. I could set my clock to the young man who would let his car idle for about five minutes before he left around 2:30 pm. I never understood why he would just sit there with his noisy muffler pissing me off. When I first retired I spent a lot of time couch surfing and I got to know that it was the white Mercedes SUV, hauling ass up the hill at 3 pm, before actually seeing the car. So whenever I drive on my street I go the speed limit even when there’s cars behind me wanting to go faster. To me the speeders are endangering me, other drivers and pedestrians.
Another practice is laying off the accelerator when the light is red. In the hope of reducing my gas usage and maybe lessen my carbon emissions.
Today backing out of the driveway I saw a car speeding up the road and decided that I should pull back in the driveway and let the car, a Tesla, speed up the hill. Soon another Tesla was speeding up the hill.
“I already let one Tesla speed up the road. I’m not going to let another one.”
If it wasn’t a Tesla I might have waited. But I don’t like the politics of Elon Musk, so I am not inclined to let people who drive his cars speed. The Tesla passed me and soon speed down the main road to get to the red light. A previous version of me might have flipped the driver off or honked my horn, but I didn’t know who I might be dealing with and I wanted my calmness to piss the driver off.
Petty, perhaps, but I was driving the speed limit with cars wanting to go faster behind me long before Musk threw his support behind Trump. But now I view the owners of Teslas, especially those who recently bought theirs just a little differently. Wondering if they have any qualms about the car they drive adding to Musk’s coffers or is it just a car. One that is less harmful to the environment than my 2010 Hyundai.
I wish it wouldn’t matter and I think about turning the other cheek and not letting it enter my thoughts. But it may be beyond me and I may just be a reflection of the times.
So if you see me on the street, and you’re in a hurry, you’ll have to wait or pass me by. Most likely it’s nothing personal.
