Civility Down Drain
* Re “Inland Empire Leads in Fatal Road Rage,” March 9:
During the almost 40 years that I have been driving in Southern California, as the population has grown the number of freeways has also grown, and the average level of traffic congestion seems to have gotten only mildly worse.
Yet during this time I have seen a drastic descent in the driving behavior of Southern Californians from the best in the nation to the worst.
I have also driven in many countries of western Europe, where highway speeds are much higher than in the United States and drivers are polite and skillful by comparison with Americans.
Road rage has less to do with traffic congestion or driving speed than with the poor driving skills and the personalization of everyday occurrences.
It is mostly a product of the sad decay in our civility that has taken place during the four decades since “doing your own thing” became the national model for how we should lead our lives.
The coarsening of our culture that has occurred since our liberation from self-control in the 1960s permeates all facets of our lives.
ROBERT VOGEL
Irvine
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