Fear and Loathing on--and off--the Freeway

On Labor Day my husband and I were returning from a trip to the mall and were preparing to exit Interstate 5 at Oso Parkway/Pacific Park Drive. A man driving a brown Porsche in the lane to our left began to enter our lane, almost hitting the front of our car. My husband tapped the horn lightly to alert the driver.

We thought no more of it until, as we exited the freeway, the driver of the Porsche careened across the freeway to the exit, proceeded around our car--deliberately cutting across our lane in the exit--and tried to drive us off the road and into the exit vegetation.

If we had been closer to the freeway, we certainly would have been killed! My husband was quick enough to outmaneuver the other driver and was able to remain on the road in our lane. When we stopped at the light, my husband got out of our car to obtain the license number of the other car, but the driver began to back down the exit ramp toward the freeway.

The light changed, and my husband and I drove toward our home. As we did, the madman in the other car drove far enough behind us that we could not see his license number, and as we turned off, he honked his horn and made hand gestures to us.

My questions are these: What on earth is the matter with people like that? What motivates them? Do they believe they are above the law, that they do not have to follow the same rules of the road as everyone else? Anyone out there have an answer?

SANDRA MAHANNA

Mission Viejo