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Government induced road anxiety. Misrepresenting the causes of highway accidents has been a big part of it.

Have you ever talked to any of these people? By presenting themselves as rolling road blocks they think they are being “safe”. An odd bit of cognitive dissonance tends to come out as these are often the people that think “brake checks” are funny.

Consider this though, how fast would you want someone constantly watching their rearview to drive?

Ive noticed that at least locally those with the least situational awareness and/or most distracted tend to be those with window stickers, vanity/specialty plates, Jesus fish, and minivans. The presence of more than one having a multiplicative effect on the the danger they pose to the drivers behind them.

The type of vehicle a person drives seems to express something about the psychology of the driver. I dont mean the sportscar/SUV/truck/etc of which the makers take advantage but particular types of people choosing to gravitate toward a particular vehicle. It seems that certain drivers tend to gravitate towards particular makes and models. Do you remember the Mazda 323 & 626? For whatever reason every one of those drivers felt the need to get in the passing lane and drive extremely slow. Those are all long gone now and we do still have slow drivers that occasionally do the same but its not with the same frequency and doesnt tend to be the same make/model issue as when those were on the road. I know a common reason that I hear people say for why they wont get out of the passing lane is a fear of “falling off the bridge.” We have a lot of bridges, ice, and high winds. Maybe those were too light to control well in winter conditions? Bad type of tire? I dont know but there was certainly a great deal of anxiety in those drivers.

Lately the rolling road blocks at the front of the line in the passing lane are diminutive white women in over priced mini faux SUVs. Work your way up there and look over. There she is ranting at you for passing while she does 50 in the passing lane in a 70 zone. You just know her purse is bulging with meds.

In regards to the mentality of the driver it isnt just those extremely disturbed drivers that can be identified by the vehicle. There is a truck make/model/color/bed cap combination youll often see here. The drivers all drive like the vehicle is part of a fleet as though theyre being monitored. There are no markings indicating it belongs to a company and no government plates. They have the same extra height bed caps but never appear to be hauling anything. The driver is without fail a middle aged male and is generally wearing a baseball cap, but not the same one, which signifies they are some sort of veteran. Some sort of a club? Again, dont know but they dont tend to cause problems so I dont really care. Its just odd that a particular type of private vehicle would be so specific. Or is it a company that doesnt haul anything and only hires middle age vets doesnt want to mark the vehicle? That doesnt seem realistic.

I would imagine that there are different specific driver types in different areas of the country but the fact that there seems to be a particular type of mental patient with keys that pops up all over from time to time and they will often identify themselves if you pay attention.