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Saturday, August 01, 2009

Tailgating, Road Rage and High Ethics

A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard.

Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he probably could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the `Choose Life' license plate holder, the `What would Jesus do?' bumper sticker, and the `Follow me to Sunday School,' bumper sticker on the other side, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."

Source
Dr. Howard K. Batson, ‘Above and Beyond’, Ethics Daily, 15 June 2008.

Related
UAE: The Tailgating Capital of the World, ETE.

Dr Geoff Pound

Geoff can be contacted by email at geoffpound(at)gmail.com on Facebook and Twitter.

Image: Getting too close by tailgating.