For many, the idea of vigilantes “taking justice into their own hands” has negative connotations. Lynch mobs in the American south may come to mind, or criminal excess in the name of righting a wrong. As the Oxford English Dictionary points out, the term originally referred to “a member of a vigilance committee”–like a neighborhood watch–or “a night-watchman,” both of which are viewed much more positively (or, at the very least, neutrally.)
The other day, as we were driving to visit my parents, I had the pleasure of witnessing some vigilantism of the latter sort. The highway on which we were traveling had merged to one lane because of construction. However, the signs indicating the merge preceded the closure of the left lane by several miles. While most drivers dutifully merged when instructed, some took advantage of the open left lane to speed ahead of everyone else. The problem with this is not simply the fact that the “late mergers” “cut” in line, but rather the fact that the slow progress of the merged traffic–the whole reason they feel the need to speed ahead–is a result of “late mergers” forcing everybody else to slow down when they cut into the correct lane at the last minute, usually from a much slower speed or even a standstill.
Enter our vigilante. As one “late merger” made his way past us, the driver of a large pickup-truck up ahead noticed his approach. The truck had already been hugging the center line to discourage drivers from passing him, but now the truck moved into the other lane entirely, blocking it and forcing the “late merger” to slow down to the same pace as all the other drivers. More cars stacked up behind him, but the driver of the pickup kept at it, driving as though he were in the merged lane–slowing down, speeding up–despite the open road ahead of him.
And so I thank the unknown vigilante for stepping in and teaching the drivers behind him a lesson–or at least frustrating them and providing everyone else with a little satisfaction.
