Poking Along the Freeway

Picture this: you're driving down the freeway, there's no traffic, all the other cars are moving along at a good speed. You find yourself getting closer and closer to the car ahead of you and finally having to slow down to avoid running over it. This driver apparently is out for a Sunday drive on a country lane.  His or her driver's side window is open, an elbow resting on the open door frame.  The driver's hair is blowing in the wind and apparently he or she never looks in their rear view mirror or he/she would notice the cars backing up behind him/her.  Several cars move out of that lane and speed around the pokey driver.  You can't move yet because everyone behind you pulls out first.  Apparently Pokey also has blinders on and doesn't see cars speeding by on the right and left. So you have to sit there poking along until a break in the traffic at which point you swerve out, put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber passing the obnoxious driver. You look over to see what kind of fool is behind the wheel but only get a look at the profile of the squinting driver.


Why do drivers act this way? Are they just inconsiderate?  Are they oblivious to the world around them and therefore shouldn't be on the road? Maybe they're just plain stupid as the men in my family would contend. 


Consider this: these drivers decide for some odd reason to drive with their window down and driving with an open window makes it SEEM like you're going really fast. You're not.  All that wind blowing past your ears makes you feel like a real speed demon. But in point of fact going 40 mph feels fast with the window down. Moreover, the noise and wind are apparently so distracting that these drivers fail to look in their mirrors or check their speedometers. They are certain that they are going even faster than the speed limit and since they can't hear other cars passing them they never speed up.


Which brings us to the question of why drive around with open windows? Some may not have air conditioning which is a perfectly rational reason for rolling down your windows. I've got no problem with that except the driver still needs to check the speedometer. However, some drivers are convinced, erroneously, that using the air conditioning reduces your gas mileage.  No, the extra drag caused by the open window reduces your mpg. And there are some I imagine who just like the fresh air. Really, how fresh is the air blowing into your car on the freeway? I guess these people just like to suck up exhaust fumes as they drive.


The conclusion I draw here is that aside from cars with broken AC, I'm going with the men in my family: drivers who drive with the windows down on the freeway are just plain stupid because the other reasons for open windows are just ridiculous. 


Next time you're stuck behind a slow poke on the freeway check to see if the windows are down. Then pass that car ASAP. He's not going to speed up, he already thinks he drives like the wind.