Playing the Vigilante in Traffic Is a Two-Edged Sword

From turning without using the indicator to cutting other cars off or driving recklessly, we tend to see this kind of behavior on a daily basis. Some don't seem to be too bothered by it because their driving habits are very similar. But then there are those who try to play by the rules, knowing that the only way to have a civilized experience behind the wheel is if everybody plays by the rules.

If only you could control what other people did, things would be so much simpler. You do your bit, you try to show everyone around you the respect they deserve, but the more you do that, the more you become frustrated with those who drive like there's no tomorrow and get away with it. That's how a good man can turn into a vigilante: a full-time traffic professor whose only mission is to school those who think that rules are made to be broken.

You might live with the impression that you're doing society a favor by disciplining lousy drivers, but in reality, you're potentially transforming into a bigger threat than they are. Trying to prove someone wrong can have disastrous effects if you push the game too far. There will be countless situations where you end up playing chicken with the guy who didn't signal his intention of merging, and some of them will not back off - either because they're oblivious enough not to know you're there, or because they're on to what you're doing and want to teach you a lesson in return.

In this case below, it appears to be a case of the widespread disease of the broken turning indicator. The small Toyota jumps from the merging lane into the next one, and then the next one, all without any word of warning. The driver of the camera car takes note and, knowing he will continue to cut lanes as long as there are any left to cut, he hits the gas, overtakes the car in front and positions himself where the Toyota most likely wanted to get. A douchebag move, no question about it, but he thinks it's for the greater good.

Except it isn't. Instead of the intended outcome, the Toyota isn't scared away by his honking and continues to merge blindly until the two cars hit. There's half of an unintentional PIT maneuver there, and the initial offender smashes the barrier and comes to a halt in an unnatural position.

The real question here is who has anything to win out of this situation? Well, except for the insurance companies and the local workshops, we can't really think of anybody.