READERS responded to my recent column on road rage and extreme speeding with a slew of their own experiences with bad drivers.
None was better than the one I got from a longtime reader and friend in Colonial Beach, Mike Long.
Long, who drives a truck for a living, was coming through a local town recently when a car came flying by him and cut him off at a merge.
When Long reacted by honking the horn at the offender, the driver turned around, screamed at him and flashed him the universal finger sign of disapproval.
Long, who recognized the driver, followed him down the road to a spot where he pulled over and went into a business. Long parked his truck and followed the driver inside, where he politely, but firmly, asked the driver how he'd had the nerve to cut him off and then insult him by flipping him off.
Long did what so many of us have thought about doing, or wished we'd done, confronted a rude and dangerous driver.
"I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't known the fellow," said Long.
I'm not suggesting here that anyone confront offending motorists out on the highway. There are enough crazies out there to make that a dangerous proposition.
But it was nice to hear Long say that the driver apologized and said he was actually signaling that he was sorry.
Good for that driver, who may think a little differently the next time he's dying to fly by another vehicle.
While several readers called to simply share their own close encounters with extreme speeders and drivers who ignore others on the roadways, Bill Salisbury of Spotsylvania County sent a detailed reply via e-mail.
"It is a sad commentary on our nation of drivers who demonstrate their selfishness and short-sightedness, by being bullies behind the wheel," he said. "They seem to think that by trying to intimidate the driver ahead of them, that somehow they will get there faster, all the while endangering those all around them with their careless abandon.
"Their attitude is 'Get out of my way. I'm in a hurry and I will step all over you to get what I want, right now!' I can tell you from personal experience that this attitude usually has the opposite effect."
Salisbury said he'd like to see tighter enforcement of speed limits in spots like State Route 3 west in Spotsylvania and Interstate 95 during commuter hours.
"It would do my heart good to see some of these turkeys taken off the road," he said.
He noted that though many drivers complain about the cost of gas, they don't drive in ways to reduce its use.
"They don't seem to realize, nor care, that if they would stop jamming the gas pedal to the floor every time they leave a traffic light, racing up the road only to have to slam on the brakes at the next light, that they could save a tremendous amount on fuel, to say nothing about the wear and tear on their cars," said Salisbury.
Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com