Why Do People Feel Like They Own the Road.

My oldest son is learning to drive. Even though he is doing a great job, it is harrowing for my wife and me to give up control of a vehicle to a teenager, even if he is our teenager. It took him a few times to realize that driving is not as easy as learning how to play a video game. He has good instincts; he just needs more “reps” before he is ready for his driver’s test.

Today is Halloween. Since it is Saturday, the four of us get take-out food from a restaurant for our family dinner. My son drove us to pick up our food. As we returned to our development, many kids were running around on the sidewalk, going from house to house to get their Halloween treats. None of the kids and none of the accompanying adults were wearing a mask. It was interesting to note that the kids were on the sidewalk, and the parents were in the middle of the road. 

My son saw this and slowed down. Most of the parents moved towards either side of the road. However, one decided to leave her side of the road, turn her back to our car, and walk back into the middle of the road while having a conversation with her unmasked friends. My son stopped the car, and still, the lady almost walked into our car.  My son was upset and I was angry. We remained calm. Neither of us showed our emotions. I got even angrier when the lady sent us an unsupportive hand gesture. 

My son slowly drove off, making sure that he did not hit anyone who thought walking on the road without masks in the middle of the road backward during a pandemic was a good idea. When we got home, we were still in shock that this misguided, backward-walking role model for her children was angry at us. My son did everything right. He slowed down when he saw a bunch of children running around. He stopped when an adult did not pay attention and look both ways while crossing the street. He did not respond to her hand gesture. He even wore his mask in public.

No one owns the road. You never know who is driving. For all you know, it may be someone who is learning how to drive. This lady just got lucky that my son had enough “reps” that he knew what to do.

Just Be Better

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong.