On Mon, 15 Apr 2019 14:06:55 +1000, James
wrote:
This morning I was riding to meet a friend. I was going to be a
little late, which isn't unusual for me. I made a left turn from a
highway on to another rural road that is also 100 km/h speed limit and
quite busy too. Maybe 100m from the turn is a rail crossing. I
noticed a car behind me as I approached the crossing. The driver
wasn't going much faster than me at that stage. About 30m from the
crossing the lights started flashing and bells were ringing. A train
was approaching and there are no boom gates at this crossing.

I applied the brakes and gently rolled to a stop. The driver in the
car following me accelerated, past me, and drove illegally through the
crossing.

I wasn't bothered, but I did wonder why the rush considering the ease
of stopping.

The psychology of driving. I can go fast (with virtually no actual
effort on my part), therefore I am entitled to go fast and anything that
prevents me from going fast is an annoyance. This is paired with the
average driver's belief that they are an excellent, even exceptional,
driver (even though they are at best average). Thus we drive fast and
take chances.