"I'm happy that the men just stormed away, because the situation could have been worse. Trivial and insignificant things have led to accidents and even deaths, news stories report.

This, the stories said, is road rage. In contrast, "aggressive driving" is a formal traffic offense or combination of offenses such as changing lanes without signaling, as well as forms of inconsiderate driving - such as (gulp) random honking.

Yet, the incidents remind me how considerate most people are in our region. I can attest to that fact. I often travel the region alone, and, frankly, I don't worry ... although my family does at times.

I got a flat tire on Interstate 94 a few years ago; it was raining hard. I stopped on the roadside, pulled out the car manual (I'd never changed a tire before) and started to read.

The instructions said, "Open the trunk and pull out the jack." So, there I am, scouring the manual while blinking through the of water cascading down my face from my saturated hair, when a white pick-up pulled over and asked if I needed help.

Heavens, do I need help, I said to myself. My Good Samaritan barely said a word, but had the tire changed in less than 5 minutes. I tried to say "Thank you," but with my hand still in the air to ask him his name, he was in his car and gone."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: How my gloves caused road rage (The Grand Forks Herald 12/13)

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