The advent of cellular technology is responsible for most road rage on today’s highways. As someone who regularly travels the highways and streets of my local Missouri community, I am pleasantly surprised when I see folks obeying the most common, most basic traffic laws, including knowing whose turn it is at four-way stops and roundabouts, what the speed limit is and how to obey it, and recognizing that the turn lane isn’t the place to cross four lanes of traffic to travel in your intended direction.

If you see me on the road you can either follow behind me, me traveling the speed limit. Or you can change lanes and fly by me, flipping me off as you do so because your lack of planning is now my problem. But it’s not. And, no. I cannot see you if your windows are tinted. Nor can I hear the string of profanities I’m guessing you are hurling at me.

Honestly, I couldn’t care less. My responsibility is to myself and how I react to your behavior, whether you respect me or not. I will not let you ruin my day because of your poor choices.

Today, that almost cost the driver of a Tennessee license plate his life and mine!

I was traveling along at the required speed limit, again something that aggravates impatient drivers, stuck between a semi-truck to my right and the car with Tennessee plates behind me. Given the situation and the driver’s impatience behind me, I continued with my speed, knowing that the truck would slow down in less than one minute due to a hill it would need to climb. I stayed in the left lane, waiting for my turn to change lanes. The car behind me, impatient as he was, whipped around me when he could, took off in front of me, nearly clipped my right quarter panel, and slammed on his brakes, forcing me to slam on mine or hit him.

At this point, I was angry, vaguely seeing gestures from him as he proceeded to accelerate to over one hundred miles an hour. I had two choices: one, catch up to him, flip him off, and get into some kind of altercation over his impatience, or two, let it go, keep my speed at the speed limit, and forget about it.

It took me about thirty seconds to slow down, hit the cruise control, and maintain my speed at the proper limit. Did I wish and think a cop should nail his butt to the wall for his erratic behavior? For sure! It was one of those times when I wish I had a camera on my vehicle to call the state police, give them his license number, and let them take it from there.

Instead, I completely let it go, slowing my heart rate and regulating my emotions. Smartest thing I did today, I can tell you that!

Do yourself a favor the next time someone cuts you off or aggressively taunts you in a car or truck; forget it happened.

It could be that the life you save, is yours!

(Oh, and make sure you are wearing your seatbelt).