Road Rage, Party of 60?

The other day, packed deep in traffic on the highway our Express route was slowed to a crawl.
Of course a bus full of regulars, all wide awake and all watching with rapt attention the traffic in front of us.

When out of nowhere another driver sees the 40 foot "cushion" between the bus and the car in front and this other driver decides that he wants to be right there - right now.
I saw the driver while he was still next to me but he was off my "left corner" in front of me and didn't give any indication he was going to cut in.
He cut in so close and so quickly that he almost took off the corner of the bus and the bike on the rack in the front.

Granted we were only going about ten miles an hour but at that moment, slamming on the brakes caused everybody on the bus to instantly get mad at the driver that they had just watched cut us off.
I heard language that I haven't heard since my days in the Service.

I think I may have even learned a few new words!

The driver who cut us off must have felt slighted that I took a whole 5 seconds to back off and give him the same "cushion" that was between the bus and the previous car, because he proceeded to start slamming on his brakes and start flipping us that good 'ol, "You're number one" internationally known hand signal.

Two of the passengers returned the love through the front window.

I had to ask them to return to their seats, for safety and all.
Inside I felt like a father whose son just got suspended for beating the tar out of the school bully.
I mean, I know what everybody was doing was the wrong response but at the same time, I felt a surge of pride - these guys (and even the Ladies) were ready to get off the bus and get all "Posse" on this guy in front of us.

That's when the bus went quiet - when I'd asked the hand signalers to return to their seats.
That's when they realized I was not joining in on the swearing, yelling, honking and sign language.

I don't know what other drivers have abused y'all but I'm sorry.
A ticked off Driver, a Driver filled with road rage, one who is cursing and driving agressively is nothing but a dangerous Driver.
Don't get me wrong, I was ticked plenty - had I not been in uniform and on the clock, I would have fit in nicely with the rest of the passengers about ready to lynch the offending driver in front of us.

But I'm not a passenger, I'm your Driver.
I'm in uniform and I'm on YOUR clock, YOUR dime.
You, the passenger pay me to be responsible, clear headed and safe.
If I get offended by any driver around me there is no way to get that anger out of my system.
That's why I read all the negative comments by passengers about Drivers who yell at y'all for silly things like radios, cell phones, open coffee cups, foul language, laughing out loud, etc.
You don't need me, your Driver to be the reason you're starting your days all grumpy.
You want me to be the guy who smiles at you and says, "Good Morning."
Not, "Yeah yeah, gimme your money, shut the @%$& up and go sit down or get off my bus!"

Road rage is dangerous to the traffic around us, it's dangerous to the passengers on the bus and it is dengerous to my career as a Driver.
Road rage does not serve YOU, me or RTD.

So I refuse to allow bad drivers on the road to cause me to have a bad day; to cause my passengers to have a bad day and maybe...just maybe me smiling back will make that other driver think twice about what he's done and perhaps he'll make a change and have a better day afterwards.

But I honestly felt like I was the first Driver to be...
Well to be pleasant.
I shocked the passengers into silence and I'm not sure they liked me right then!
o_O
I can live with it because tomorrow is another day and another chance to make your day start smoothly, safely and on time - pleasantly.

And as always, "Welcome aboard, find your seats - Let's Roll!"