It drives me nuts.
I’m behind a car approaching a traffic signal. The light is as green as it can be. About 50 yards before reaching the intersection, the car begins to slow down, way down.
I’m trying to put myself in the mindset of the driver. This person has nothing better to do than to anticipate the joy of stopping and waiting for 90 seconds while the traffic light goes through its routine. He or she must be saying, “Maybe, just maybe, this light is going to turn yellow, then red. I’m preparing for that possibility by slowing my car to a crawl. What a great human being I must be to show such patience. Perhaps I should receive some sort of humanitarian award.”
It’s not like me to be critical – maybe I’ll let out a brief honk of annoyance. Yes, that is me. And since I’m going to wait an extra minute and a half at the intersection, I begin to imagine what this person’s life is all about.
My guess is, when such drivers reach the age of 70, they will slow way down and wait for the red signal to stop.
Meanwhile, I softly put my foot on the gas pedal to catch a green light for another decade or so.