Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Your column on road rage was great. I drive from Fayetteville to Buckhead every day, and as a result, my day starts and ends with left-lane laggards on Ga. Highway 314.

Going northbound, they get in the left lane at the Pavilion so they can turn left onto Ga. Highway 279 about three miles away. Hardly anyone turns right onto 279 off of 314; they use Kenwood Road. But because of the blind hill approaching the intersection and the fact that the right lane there was wasted on a "right turn only" design, the right lane is useless. All traffic continuing north or west has to use the left lane.

In the evening, southbounders get in the left lane and stay there because the majority of them are Fulton/Clayton countians going to the Pavilion (don't get me started on that one).

There are three species of laggards:

· Stupid ones who wouldn't notice if a fleet of fire trucks were tailgating them.

· Arrogant ones who know you're back there but don't care because they are going exactly the posted limit.

· And self-appointed speed police who go out of their way to control speeds in both lanes by matching speed with another slow driver. This happened to me just last week.

Add in absurdly low speed limits in some places and the recipe for rage is complete.

I can deal with slow speeds for a good reason (weather, heavy traffic). But I can't accept going unnecessarily slow because of someone else's ignorance or attitude.

Maybe I need a bullhorn mounted on the front of my car. Lights and horns aren't efficient signals, and gestures aren't satisfying.

Keep the pressure on.

Name withheld by request