It’s a sobering thought when you realize how close you came to possible death from someone’s carelessness. Let me explain.
This morning I was driving My Favorite Domer (AKA college guy) around town on a few errands — some for him, some for me. Now, at age 20, he’s perfectly capable of driving himself, but since we both had errands to run, it just seemed the sensible (and frugal!) thing to go together.
And it was my car.
I was traveling east along a mostly residential, tree-lined street when suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I saw a white bus lunge forward from a Stop sign on my left.
This was one of those “senior citizen” buses the county operates, something they use to pick up the elderly and disabled and take them to doctor’s appointments, the grocery store, Wal-Mart, and other places.
Since there was nothing immediately behind me, I stopped my car and SAT on the horn, waiting to get the other driver’s attention.
Eventually, she must have noticed because she, too, stopped — after crossing the westbound lane and nearly touching the center line of the road I was on.
You’d have thought she’d been all apologetic. After all, it was her mistake.
But no.
She started screaming at me, flailing her arms in an angry manner, and making all sorts of ugly faces.
At me.
Okay, you didn’t expect me to take it without a fight, did you?
I screamed a few choice words back at her — nothing my son hadn’t heard before! — then promptly got out of her way.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
So after I got home, I picked up the phone and called the agency responsible for those buses and drivers.
A dispatcher, hearing that I had a complaint, transferred me to the director, and I gave her a blow-by-blow account of what happened. I assured her I didn’t want to be responsible for someone losing her job in this lousy economy; neither did I want to see a bunch of old or disabled folks killed from the carelessness of one of their bus operators.
You did the right thing, the director told me. We can’t correct a problem if we don’t know about it. We’ll take it from here.
I hope so. I really hope so.
Tell me, what would you have done?
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
I would have screamed a few choice words and called the bus company to share my story with them. Sounds like the driver both a poor driver and has anger management issues. Now pray that she gets a mosquitoe bite between her toes for almost lunging into you and acting like an ass…God understands these things… 🙂 By tomorrow you will feel vindicated and will have done a good thing the bus companies future passengers.
♥
Thanks for the reinforcement, Katybeth! Right after it happened, I looked over at my son and asked, “You don’t think this is over, do you?” He laughed and said, “Of course not!” He fully expected me to call the bus company and complain — which I did! You’re right — that driver seemed to have anger management issues and needed a dressing down!
I think you did the right thing. This situation goes along with a post I did earlier this month about ‘Manners Deficiency.’ Had the person acknowledged the error with a head nod or muttered apology, you probably could have chalked it up to an ‘oops’ moment (don’t we all have those?).
But her choice to react in that manner had a consequence (your complaint). When you’re in a company/business vehicle, I think there is an obligation to be courteous because you are representing that company. Maybe she learned something form the encounter.
I hope she learned something, Janna! I shudder to think what her passengers must have thought, seeing their lives flash before them and hearing her cursing. Yes, it all goes back to “Manners Deficiency.” Why do people in vehicles think they’re somehow untouchable and unconnected to the rest of the world?
Exactly as you did. What a jerk that woman was! To endanger everybody and then act offended. The NOIVE.
Thanks for the reinforcement, Lynne! I wish I’d been a fly on the wall and heard her rationalization to her supervisor, though. I imagine she jumped through a dozen hoops, trying to avoid a proper reprimand!