Mike Cox You don’t have to drive very long these days to encounter an idiot in an automobile. Inattentive, distracted, and downright rude drivers are more numerous than Bill Green commercials. Interstate highways contribute to the problem. At least a couple of generations of drivers today would be lost without those efficient movers of traffic.

In the days of two lane roads, beginners learned to drive patiently, be attentive, and adjust to road situations. Now, you point the car and go. No one much cares what road conditions and traffic is like. The only real concern is slowing down.

Cruise control contributes also. It is amazing how many drivers will do something stupid or dangerous just to keep from switching off the auto pilot. Considering how easy it is to disengage and reboot, this seems odd.

In the ’60s, AM radio was pretty much all you had to distract you from the task of driving. Now you have satellite radio, CD players, and even DVD players, so everyone can watch movies. A couple of weeks back I read about a guy getting pulled over for having porn on his auto DVD player. Talk about driver distractions.

I’ve even noticed people driving down the highway with a book between the spokes of the steering wheel. Those who tried such things in the days of two lane roads ended up as headlines and weren’t able to pass such bad habits to offspring.

But today’s primary highway problem is rudeness. More and more people transfer their personal disregard for others to the highway. Tail–gaiting, cutting others off, and cruising in the left lane have all become common sights on the highway. Even big rig drivers, those romanticized asphalt cowboys from years ago, have become as likely as anyone else to run you off the pavement.

The best evidence of this epidemic is the disappearance of the little wave. For as long as I remember, courtesy on the road rewarded you with an acknowledgement by the other driver.

That little wave meant he realized you were being kind. It was expected and anyone who failed to deliver the wave was admonished. I know people who memorized tag numbers so they would never let such an ungrateful SOB in front of them again.

Today no one acknowledges your gesture; they barely look up. This century’s driver barges into the open area like Dale Jr. His look tells you he would have taken the spot no matter what you did, and if he waves at all, it’s with one finger.

We need to reverse this trend immediately. I know it seems like a small thing, but if we can’t find the time to acknowledge a good deed with a little wave, then there is no hope for our society. When kindness disappears from the highways, the same thing will soon happen in our movie theatres, restaurants, and grocery stores.

Before long, we’ll become a nation of blameless, me–first victims. What kind of world is that to leave for our children and grandchildren?