It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in L.A. rush hour or are just trying to make that left turn and there isn’t an opening, traffic sucks. Being caught in it raises stress levels, shortens tempers and that’s before you factor in the pollution.

So THAT’S why I’ve been sitting here for four hours…

Having grown up in the Seattle region, which has always maintained a top-10 spot in the Worst Traffic In The United States lists, and having driven through Austin, L.A., San Diego and San Francisco, also top contenders, I’ve learned enough about driving in crowds of pissed-off people that I tend to be a fairly courteous driver, sometimes to the point of fault. Every once in a while my wife will get annoyed as I wave some poor soul into the traffic lane who had been trying to merge for at least five minutes. I don’t do it for the asshat who drove all the way up to the merge point  just to force his way into traffic, but instead for the guy who is trying to not be that dude, but when I’m in that guy’s position, I hope and pray that my good karma pays back dividends, and for the most part it has.

Driving through town earlier today, I found myself at a left turn that was mission impossible. Maybe an eighth-mile down one way is a series of stoplights that build up the perfect amount of traffic. From the other way is steady traffic, and there’s plenty of people turning left onto the street I’m sitting on. I don’t like this position at all: The only vehicle wreck I’ve ever been involved in, was a similar situation that ended up with a Honda CRX parked in the driver/rear door of my grandfather’s Dodge Intrepid. I’m in my wife’s Chevy Silverado, and I promise that she won’t be happy if something happens to her baby. Realizing I’m up against titanic odds of making my left turn, I instead choose to bail right and make a U-turn up the road a ways…annoying but a much safer choice. Except right as I’ve signaled for a right turn and started to move, a truck pulls into the right turn lane. The driver must’ve sensed what was up because he gestured for me to turn right. The first second I could I made the turn, and waived as I left. His wait? About eight seconds from communication to the point where I was turning, nothing outstanding. What did he accomplish besides a little courtesy? My blood pressure was lowered, my stress was lowered, traffic kept moving along with no backup being caused by a big black truck stuck at an intersection and a little faith in humanity was restored. It was just a simple gesture but it went a long way.

If you were driving in Bowling Green, Kentucky in a black Chevy C-10 with a wrinkled front fender, thanks, man. Appreciate it.