Karma

I did my good deed for the week yesterday.

Earlier this year, I was stopped in traffic near an on-ramp. By normal traffic rules, merging traffic is required to yield to traffic already moving. Since it is rush hour, it is stop-and-go and I pretty much subscribe to the "let one in" model where each car merging gets let in one at a time. Kind of a natural law of the road in most areas.

Not this time. A fellow in a small SUV decided that he was going to merge in front of me along with the car I was letting in. In my world, this doesn't fly. Traffic is barely moving and you can wait your turn. Besides, I really dislike people who think just because they are edging forwards means they win.

He forced himself in anyway despite having no room to do so and me honking my horn. C'est la vie. He's an asshole.

I was right about that part.

Traffic begins to move. Bear in mind I'm sitting on the upslope of a bridge. So I wait for him to start moving. His brake lights go out and instead of rolling forward, he lets his truck roll gently backwards into me. My foot never left the brake pedal.

Aforementioned asshole immediately leaps out of his car, screams that I rear-ended him, starts pounding on my hood and window demanding I get out and see what I did to his car. Not in my world, pal. I'm on the phone to 911 and the dispatcher can hear this guy yelling. I'm calm and cool but I am not getting out to deal with this person.

Eventually we pulls off as the police arrive, exchange information and I go on my way after telling the cop what happened and the fellow's behavior. A couple hours later, the guy calls my phone, apologizes for his actions in making me think he was threatening me and says he isn't pursuing a claim because there was no damage.

I kept the police report and still have the message and this idiot's phone number. Just in case. But the whole incident could have been avoided had one person been there to say what had happened. The people beside and behind me could attest that my brake lights never went out and I never moved an inch until he rolled back into me.

I won but it was a hollow victory. Just another asshole in Tyson's Corner. My word against his and that is all I had.

Fast forward to last night. Another usual night on the Capital Beltway. Slow moving traffic, the usual crawl. A car with PA plates in front of me. But what had my attention was the car in front of him. Car had a customized tag and was swerving as we travelled over to the shoulder, practically pulling off and then slowly swinging back out, crossed the lines into the other lane towards other cars and at the last minute, swing back. Some cars thought he wanted to merge, backed off and opened a space. To which he swung into and then swung back into the lane I was in. Very odd.

Once, you chalk it up to someone not paying attention. We're all guilty of it at some time or another. Usually nothing more than scaring ourselves. But this continued for several cycles. A few times, he crossed into the other lane and missed the cars by inches or was warded off by honks from people seeing this car come into their lane for no reason. With the sudden reaction behind to swung wildly back towards the shoulder before settling down.

By the fifth time, I was convinced this guy was drunk and was going to hit someone. I pulled my phone out and keyed "911" but paused since I didn't know if a report of someone swerving but not hitting anyone would be considered an emergency. So I decided to wait and watch and if this guy hit someone, I'd pull off and act as a witness for the cops.

He did.

Not five minutes later, the whole predictable wander over the shoulder and then towards the opposite lane occurred and this time he smacked into a poor guy sitting perfectly still. Traffic scattered as the two touching cars decide what to do. I pass the two, slide onto the shoulder, flip my hazards on and wait. A minute later, the two cars pull in behind me.

I wait and watch in the mirror as the two men inspect their cars and begin to exchange information. I pull out a piece of paper and write down my name and phone number. I then get out and walk towards them. The guy that hit the other guy asks "We you involved?". I say "No. I saw it happen.". He said nothing else and went rooting in his car.

The fellow that got hit was knelt in front of his bumper taken down the guy's information. I interrupted him, informed him I saw everything happen, indicated it wasn't his fault and if he needed a witness for a police report, insurance or court to call me. I handed him my information. He thanked me and I wished him luck. Five minutes later, I'm back on the road.

A hour later, the fellow calls me and thanks me profusely again. He was glad that someone had stopped who had seen it happen so he wouldn't have to go through the "he said, he said" game with the insurance company and was it ok if he gave his adjuster my contact information? "Absolutely!" was my answer. I wished him well and to call me if he needed my help in anything over this matter.

I didn't have to stop. I didn't have to risk myself or spend my time doing so. But I felt an obligation to do so. I saw this guy get hit through no fault of his own and he didn't deserve the extra hassle of having to find the other guy's version of events or outright lies after the fact. I had observed this guy's behavior prior to his negligence and I felt my observations would prove useful.

I was the only one who stopped but it made this guy's day and turned what would could have been a serious irritant in his life to a mere inconvenience.

Sometimes these small things matter. It took little out of my day to do it and perhaps restored or reaffirmed someone else's faith in humanity.

Plus, I feel good for having done it.

Karma points. I like them.