Drive me crazy

So, I've often been accused of being an agressive driver. I prefer to think of myself as efficient, but whatever. I blame my habits on city living, genetics and the incessant voice of my father in my head, who taught me to drive, or rather screamed me through it. It sounded something like this "Don't you DARE ROLL BACKWARDS on this hill! When I was in the army they would put my WATCH behind the rear wheel on an incline and say 'DO NOT ROLL BACK'...do you want me to do that WITH YOUR NEW PURSE?" Just plain MEAN. But apparently, I learn well under hostile conditions, as I can drive any stick shift without stalling, and, indeed, will not roll back on a hill. This via sheer fear that my father will somehow find out and verbally flog me.

Anyhoo, I admittedly have the bad habit of tailgating. Often, I do this without really realizing it, but will suddenly find myself able to see the hairs on the back of the drivers neck in front of me and think "You know, I don't really need to be THIS close" and I WILL back off. Or get closer until they take the hint and move into the other lane, which is really the reaction I was hoping for in the first place.

My brother was a passenger with me the other day and we had the following conversation:

Steve: Geez sis...back off.
Me: Well, if he would just MOVE, I wouldn't have to tailgate him.
Steve: I like how you sound like dad...justifying your bad behavior.
Me: It's TRUE. If someone is practically inspecting the contents of your trunk, the polite thing to do is get into the other lane.
Steve: Or, YOU could be polite and just slow down a bit.
Me: I prefer my method.
Steve: Well, I prefer to live.
Me: You're no fun.

Though, I have to say, this conversation was playing in my head Monday as I was driving home and realized that I was a weensy bit close to the truck in front of me. So I backed off, and wouldn't you know it?! right then the ladder loosened from the truck bed and came skittering towards me at lightening speed. Using my cat-like reflexes, I had just enough time to swerve around it before it would have gone underneath my car. Perish the thought as to what might have happened had I been on his bumper when the ladder came free.

SO, I think that might have been enough of a message from the universe to stop tailgating...or at the very least, not behind trucks wherein the driver might have been too lazy to tie down objects that could cause sudden death. Decapitation by ladder...I can't imagine that would be a good way to go.