Road Rage

Making my way through traffic on the beltway listening to A Tout le Monde on the stereo, I was reminded of George Carlin. It was Carlin that once remarked, "In traffic, anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac."

As I overtook another lumbering idiot and shook my fist at a passing maniac, I wondered what it is about driving that makes people so aggressive. What prompts otherwise level-headed, calm people to suddenly become foul-mouthed, intolerant fiends once behind the wheel? Could it be that that they really hate their cars so much that they can't wait to get out of them? Or maybe they really love their jobs and can't wait to get behind the desk and start being productive as soon as possible. Not very likely, on either count.