Got my dose of schadenfreude pretty early today.
To get to work, I have to drive down several divided highways with some nice, big, exit ramps to make the changes. Just before I get onto the exit to the second highway, this jerk in a sedan jumps in front of me and immediately begins tailgating the CR-V that was originally ahead of me. Obviously, this was the sort of person that can’t stand not being leader of the pack. My hypothesis was confirmed when the ramp split into three lanes (one to go right, the other two to go left), and he immediately switched to the farther left-turn lane whereas the CR-V stayed in the other left-turn lane.
Of course, this did not get the sedan any extra distance, since the end of the ramp featured a stoplight and the CR-V was at the front of its lane, whereas the sedan wound up behind a blue pickup truck. Once the light turned green, the CR-V got a faster start on the left turn and so pulled ahead of the pickup. The sedan-driver noticed this and naturally switched back to being behind the CR-V.
But we did not get far until we hit another stoplight at another controlled entrance. This time, I was behind the pickup truck and the sedan was right next to me. But when the light turned green, guess who pulled ahead faster this time. Yes, it was the pickup, and then, of course, me.
In fact, this time, the CR-V took its very sweet time accelerating. Shortly, the sedan had an opening to switch to my lane and get behind me. But the last I saw of it in my mirror, the CR-V also wanted to get into my lane as well and also switched before the sedan could start speeding up.
Just goes to show, being impatient in traffic does not pay off. If he had committed to a lane instead of weaving in and out trying to get ahead of everyone else and getting in their ways, the sedan-driver wouldn’t have fallen behind.