With the possible exception of taking Sarah Palin seriously, is there a human activity that is more idiotic than tailgating?
No matter how hard I try to understand the appeal of riding another car's bumper, I can't make sense of it, even if I concede that the tailgater's motivation is to get to his destination ASAP.
If a tailgater on a city street where passing is impractical or illegal slows down just enough to keep a safe distance from the tailgatee, what does the tailgater lose? Seconds?
Conversely, if the tailgater continues to tailgate, what does he gain? Chances are the tailgatee, angered by the tailgater, will consciously maintain his speed or even slow down a bit to make a point (as I've done many times), costing the tailgater still more time.
Finally, if a tailgater refuses to slow down, what does he risk? The tailgatee could be Yosemite Sam, in which case the tailgater is in a heap of trouble. ("Dead rabbits tell no tales.") Even a mild-mannered tailgatee may have to stop short to avoid a child or an animal, in which case the tailgater may well slam into the tailgatee, risking injury to one or both of them. Not to mention all that down time while both motorists wait for a cop to show up and investigate the accident.
It's quite baffling, really. But then so is Sarah Palin. Obviously, much of life is beyond my sadly limited powers of comprehension.
No matter how hard I try to understand the appeal of riding another car's bumper, I can't make sense of it, even if I concede that the tailgater's motivation is to get to his destination ASAP.
If a tailgater on a city street where passing is impractical or illegal slows down just enough to keep a safe distance from the tailgatee, what does the tailgater lose? Seconds?
Conversely, if the tailgater continues to tailgate, what does he gain? Chances are the tailgatee, angered by the tailgater, will consciously maintain his speed or even slow down a bit to make a point (as I've done many times), costing the tailgater still more time.
Finally, if a tailgater refuses to slow down, what does he risk? The tailgatee could be Yosemite Sam, in which case the tailgater is in a heap of trouble. ("Dead rabbits tell no tales.") Even a mild-mannered tailgatee may have to stop short to avoid a child or an animal, in which case the tailgater may well slam into the tailgatee, risking injury to one or both of them. Not to mention all that down time while both motorists wait for a cop to show up and investigate the accident.
It's quite baffling, really. But then so is Sarah Palin. Obviously, much of life is beyond my sadly limited powers of comprehension.
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