Follow the Leader

Why do Ontarians have so much trouble understanding basic driving principles? The government has spent taxpayers money on signs reminding us all of the common rule, keep right except to pass or slower traffic keep right. Why is this concept too complicated for the drivers of Ontario to understand?

I understand there may be circumstances where this rule cannot be followed (i.e. rush hour or possibly even in the downtown areas of larger cities) but for the most part, there is no reason for drivers to ignore this simple concept. Every time I head out in my car, I bear witness to this phenomenon forcing me to pass on the right because drivers do not follow this ideology. Some drivers go so far as to speed up while being overtaken on the right only to slow down again when the threat of being passed ends. These practices can only lead to bad things.

As I was sitting in my car yesterday while my wife was at the wheel heading to the Toronto Zoo, I observed the happenings and came to a couple conclusions. The first conclusion is that people act differently while driving cars and people prefer to follow. As Stinky T noted in her post ‘Randomosity’, people do not seem to like line-ups but in their cars, people are more than happy to fall in line behind someone and form a queue. When in cars, people seem like they would rather follow someone else than to take the lead and set the pace (except for those who drive 10km/h under the limit).

Maybe this trend occurs because people do not like to think while in a car or they prefer to stare at the rear of a car as opposed to the marvels of Ontario. Who knows! In my opinion, people are just stupid and ignorant. And yes, I do fall into this category at times too, just like everyone else, but unlike some others, I try to limit my stays.