I don’t know what happens to people when they get behind the wheel, but apparently starting an engine shuts down the part of the brain responsible for courtesy, planning, and basic spatial awareness.
The turn signal is the most obvious casualty. It comes installed in the car. It requires one finger. Yet some drivers treat using it like they’re revealing classified information to the enemy. They drift across three lanes with all the warning of a falling piano, then look offended when everyone else objects.
Then there are the people who drive ten miles under the speed limit in the passing lane, perfectly content to lead a parade they never intended to join. Behind them: twenty increasingly irritated drivers. Ahead of them: open highway and limitless opportunity. In their mirrors: apparently nothing, because checking would introduce dangerous levels of situational awareness.
And let’s not forget the driver who waits until reaching the front of a half-mile exit line before deciding the rules are for other people. They stop, block a travel lane, and expect somebody to reward the behavior by letting them in. This isn’t merging. It’s vehicular cutting in line while holding several thousand pounds of leverage.
None of this requires advanced driver training. Signal before turning. Keep right unless passing. Don’t block intersections. Put the phone down. If you miss an exit, take the next one instead of risking six lives to save four minutes.
Traffic is rarely caused by one enormous act of stupidity. It’s usually thousands of small selfish decisions made by people who believe everyone else should accommodate them. The frightening part is that many of these people probably arrive at work and are trusted with decisions.