Open Letter to the Road Rager Riding My Bumper on I-95 in Maine

Dear Guy Who Was Behind Me On I-95,

Yes, I saw you waving your arms in my rear-view while dangerously close to my bumper and I don't care.

I don't know why you're angry at me because I was doing 5 miles over the speed limit and you couldn't get by me. If anyone should be angry it should be me, because you were so close to my car that I couldn't even see your tires.

Listen, buddy, I know time is short and we're all in a hurry, but you and your big truck aren't the only people on I-95. In fact, there are people on I-95 who aren't even in cars. They're called construction workers. You might have seen them on your right in that closed lane that prevented you from going 75 miles per hour past me.

You might have noticed the speed limit signs, but probably not based on your poor driving skills. They read "Speed Limit 50. Fines Doubled." I don't know about you, but that sounds like they're pretty serious about wanting us to go that speed. My 5 miles per hour over it still wasn't fast enough for you.

But do you know why they are serious about that speed in a construction zone? Because, as you also probably didn't notice in your hurry to get from point A to point B, there's nothing between our cars and those construction workers but a few plastic barrels. Not much there keeping them from being hit by people going too fast like you wanted to.

Did you hear about the construction worker in Bangor who almost got hit by someone going too fast? Click right here and you'll learn that this could have been you that almost hit that guy.

Unlike you, I like to be aware of my surroundings and not put other people in danger, namely, those construction workers who are doing their jobs to make your ride on the highway a little smoother for you. Also, maybe you can afford the doubled speeding fine. I can't.

So do me and yourself a favor. Get off my bumper. Don't worry about that 2 minutes travel time you lost as we went through that construction zone. Worry about death and taxes instead. Your blood pressure will thank you for it.

Sincerely,

Jeff "5 MPH Too Fast" Parsons