McGee: Life in the not so fast lane

Why is it that so many drivers break the law? I mean going faster than the speed limit?

This came up as The Lady of the House and I rolled over that stretch of U.S. 84 between Santa Rosa and Fort Sumner on Memorial Day.

Our cruise control was set at the speed limit of 65 mph, apparently not fast enough for most drivers we encountered, who came racing up from behind and zipped by us.

One after another they passed our lil’ ol’ family four-door sedan like we were on a conveyor belt. There was the giant F450 extended cab pick-em-up truck pulling a show-horse trailer that thundered by. There was the BMW that dangerously passed three cars on a curve in a no-passing zone.

We spent time watching a Trans Am being driven by a young man with a young woman in the passenger seat. They came racing up behind us and spent time tailgating our lil’ ol’ four-door sedan.

The guy would speed up, act like he was going to pass, then the young woman would turn toward him, move her mouth real fast then he’d back off. As time went on, The Lady of the House and I would say out loud, “Come on boy, let’s go.”

Time and again he’d come within a few feet of our rear, act like he was going to pass, then the young woman would turn to him and he’d back off. Then when enough cars had backed up behind him he put the pedal to the metal and roared past us. We had to give him a well-deserved golf clap as he zipped by.

Yeah, I can ponder why the speed limit isn’t good enough for a number of drivers but I won’t get an answer.

Of course there are those who say, “It ain’t speedin’ ‘til you get caught.”