Recently, I drove behind a man who was, in my opinion, driving very badly.
He was driving a company vehicle, with stickers on it indicating that motorists should report bad driving.
I kept a safe following distance away from the vehicle, but, as I drove along, I thought “It’s my duty to report this man’s bad driving. What happens if he is involved in a collision? Will my conscience be clear?”
So I did exactly that … I reported his bad driving to his superior and it felt good to do my good deed for the day.
That was until I had an argument with a relative who asked me who I thought I was, judging another person’s driving.
His point was “Where does one draw the line with bad driving? And who’s to say that I wasn’t also driving badly by pursuing the other driver?”
It made me think. At first I was upset because I thought I had contributed in a positive way by pointing out that this man was playing with lives, the way he was driving.
After a while, I came to the conclusion that maybe he was just driving as he normally drives, and perhaps that wasn’t necessarily bad … I just thought it was. And come to think of it, no-one else in the traffic seemed bothered by his driving.
So, I am reiterating my question, “When is the right time to report bad driving?”
Please share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment – I would love to take this discussion further.
Until next week, drive safely, Krugersdorp.
