There’s a new viral video going around posted by “Florida Driver” where a man in an oversized truck tailgates a woman on the highway. This is what is written in the video description:
“This pathetic excuse for a human being tailgated me for about three minutes. After about a minute, and me shaking my head, I pulled out my phone and started recording. I couldn’t move over because there were trucks in the right lane, and I sure as heck wasn’t going to speed on a rainy day with the roads being as slick as they were. I was turning left in about a half-mile when this happened.”
When he finally gets the chance to pass her, he makes sure to take his time so his middle finger can be on display for as long as possible. As he finally hits the gas to make the aggressive show of getting ahead, he spins out of control, flying into the other lane and taking out a pole as his truck falls apart. The woman who is recording this bursts out laughing and says “That’s what you get. All on video, buddy.”
She laughs because nobody else was involved in the accident and the man clearly wasn’t too injured. The Tampa Bay Fox news channel reported the man, identified as Jeffery Travis White, initially fled the scene, only to be later arrested (thanks to the video) on charges of “leaving the scene of a traffic crash, careless driving, and failing to wear his seatbelt.”
“Florida Driver” disabled comments after the immense number of views led to plenty of hateful comments, telling her she was in the wrong, claiming she shouldn’t have been going so slow in the passing lane.
I come from a city tangled in highways, where “bros” in huge trucks act as ridiculous as possible in gross attempts to make you feel small. “Redneck roadrage” was the setting where I got my driver’s license. So as I’m watching the video, I’ll admit, I can’t help but laugh along at the “instant karma.” Reckless driving is one of the things I despise most in the world.
People often forget the weight of driving as it becomes routine. We forget the responsibility that goes with controlling a powerful 1,800 kg (4,000 lbs) machine. One false move can have devastating consequences. I’ve often quoted Jacques Ellul, a 20th century French sociologist and lay theologian, who sees the corrupted nature of humanity most clearly in the way we drive: not paying attention, always trying to go faster, feeling entitled to the road. His case further hardens in our day as we have many more distractions at our fingertips (think texting while driving).
While this incident may evoke some laughter, it should ultimately elicit sadness. It portrays all too well the way we destroy ourselves by our lack of love for others. Keep in mind: karma is not a Christian idea. God yearns for justice, but as I look through Scripture I see many stories where evil is met with greater evil; the bad guys don’t always get what’s coming to them.
We live in a world where what goes around doesn’t always come around. We live in a world of jerks, and I’m too often one of them.
The Christian message is not about karma; it’s about grace.
The Man who loved hardest was murdered, and in response to those who were mocking and wounding He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
People suck. But people are broken, unhappy, lost. If we all got what we deserved, then we’d all be in a whole lot of pain.
So as I see this tailgating jerk spin out of control, I say Father forgive him.
