Life in the Left Lane, Part 6

Theory #6 - LaLa Land / Distracted

As with the Ego theory, I would bet a lot of people cite this one as the reason for peoples' penchant for the left side of the road. This theory is fairly simple, these drivers don't have a clue. They are either talking on the cell phone, looking for the french fry that fell on the floor, or just jamming to some good tunes. They don't bother to look in the rear view mirror to see the line of traffic stretching on for miles. Blink your lights, honk your horn, wave with one finger all you want... they ain't gonna see you.

While the Ego theory considered people who only care about themselves, this theory differs in that these drivers aren't necessarily concerned only with themselves. They'd move over if they knew there was a line of cars behind them, but they just haven't noticed. In my opinion, these are the scariest group of drivers. My hunch is that they are more likely to be involved in accidents because they simply aren't paying attention to anything on the road, much less their time in the left lane.

In Germany drivers would never think about eating in a car, or talking on a cell phone. For Germans driving is not only a past time, but a responsibility. Maybe we could learn from the Germans. If you are behind the wheel pay attention... your driving affects everyone on the road.