Hi George: I was sitting in traffic the other week as my 30 Gold score was patiently waiting my turn to get past an accident. At that point, my high Green started to wonder about the personalities of the other drivers around me, and how their Colors determined what to do.
The Golds were likely in the lane furthest away from the wreck, because you’re supposed to move away from an accident, and they were in the lane they needed to be in, planning to make their exit 20 miles away. They were irritated that some people weren’t moving to the open lane, since there was a sign five miles back notifying everyone that there was an accident in the far left lane.
The Blues were probably in the next lane over so that they could help people move over away from the accident, but also in order to help people get on and off the exits. They were also in this lane so they see the wreck to make sure no one was hurt, needing help and just wondering if everyone was OK. They had already dialed 911 on their cell and were waiting to press the “send” button in case they felt that help was needed.
Perhaps the Greens were in the lane next to the accident in order to evaluate how many cars were in the wreck, how it happened and whose fault it was – all in an effort to at least learn something from this
It’s likely that the Orange drivers were in the accident lane until they just HAVE to move over. After all, until then, it was the fastest moving lane. Of course, at the last minute they now have to change lanes immediately and start inching forward without really waiting for someone to let them into the bumper to bumper traffic. Or perhaps they would be asked to stop and help direct traffic or something important?
It sure made waiting in traffic more fun. But I also had some questions:
Would an Orange just make another lane on the shoulder to short-cut the traffic, because they’re already late? Would they latch onto the next cars’ bumper to avoid letting anyone in because it would delay them an extra three seconds?
Would us Gold not let anyone in when we get close, because they should have merged way back when they knew they’d have to move into our lane?
Would a Blue be more likely to let you merge once you’ve made eye contact and (in a way) connect with them?
In this long delay, shouldn’t someone survey the high Greens as to how they could better handle these types of congestion? Isn’t that what they’re thinking about at the time? Or is it more of a focus on looking around wondering how stupid some other drivers really are?
J.W. Kansas City (Go Chiefs on Sunday!)