I think I pissed off another driver on the way home today, but in my opinion it was because they were just too uptight.

So on MN Highway 312 West, the road ends and the westbound lanes merge into a single lane. In typical Minnesota driver fashion, some folks like to think that they're above the law and that they know better than other drivers and straddle the dividing line between the left and right lanes ahead of the merge point. I guess the point of this is to keep other drivers from passing in the left lane when the road inevidibly merges into one lane. They want to make drivers merge way ahead of the point where the two lanes become one.

I've never understood this. If there are two lanes, use them. It'll allow the road to be filled to max capacity and keep traffic from getting backed up behind too far. I'm sure the Minnesota Department of Transportation decided on the merge point for some good reason, and if it made sense from a traffic flow or safety standpoint to force traffic to merge earlier, they would have designed the road that way.

Anyway, I usually just stay in the right lane and let other people pass by. I'm never in a rush and more time in the car equals more time to listen to music. I really don't care about other drivers. Pass me and merge 20 cars ahead of me. It doesn't matter to me. Have a nice day.

So the guy behind me today set himself up off to the left and was straddling the middle line between the right and left lanes, preventing anyone from passing even though there was about 100 - 150 yards left to the merge point. I figured I'd be a smart ass, move to the right, and straddle the shoulder line. Hey, if he was covering the center line to prevent people from passing on the left, why not cover the shoulder to make sure nobody passes on the right too?

Well, the guy didn't like that too much. I looked up in my rear-view mirror, and he was vigorously gesturing as if he were angry. I guess I really didn't look too closely or pay attention to what he was doing. I thought it was kind of funny. Then later on down the road I think he was trying to make it look like he was writing down my license plate number on a piece of paper. Riiiight.... who the heck was he going to report me to, and for what? If anything, straddling the center line is a bit more dangerous than the shoulder line, if you ask me.

I think it's hilarious when other drivers try to show that they know better and make up traffic laws on the road. Just mind your own business and you'll get home. In the case of straddling the center line, being a wanna-be police officer isn't worth getting rear-ended anyway.

I rarely do stuff like this, but I couldn't help it today. If you're one of those people who takes trival matters into your own hands like this on the road, then don't worry - I'll probably just ignore you. But if I don't, feel free to write down my license plate number for having some harmless fun at your expense.