Editor:
I enjoyed Dr Know It All’s humorous response to Claudine, the frustrated driver (Town Crier, Dec. 11). I would like to give a serious reply to her letter.
If Claudine is flashing her lights and honking her horn at the slow driver, chances are very good that she is also tailgating.
Although I no longer live in Idyllwild — the home of my youth and my heart — I’ve lived in or near the mountains almost all of my life, and I’ve always been a slow driver. I normally use the turn-out to let people pass, when it’s safe to do so. But if someone’s tailgating me, I don’t dare slow down to take the turn-out lest they collide with me.
Tailgating is a sure way to ensure that everyone will be unhappy — the frustrated tailgater and the harassed slower driver.
I’d guess that some slower drivers also will get so annoyed with the rude behavior of the horn honker that they’ll refuse to cooperate out of irritation. (Honking should be used only for emergencies, such as to avoid an immediate crash).
If the faster driver would just slow down enough to give the slower driver a bit of space, it would be a win-win situation for everyone.
Please give that a try.
Julie Naidich
Santa Fe, NM
