A Special Note to the Audi on the Mid-Hudson Bridge This Morning

A wise person once said to never take anything personally. Everyone is living in their own reality, and their reactions have nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. If that's true, I hope the driver (and the passenger) of the Audi driving on the Mid-Hudson Bridge this morning feels better.

I'm trying to not take what happened this morning personally, but I have to admit I'm still having a hard time. The interaction is still sitting with me hours later, and it's making me wonder if I just had bad luck, or if we are entering a new reality on Hudson Valley roads.

Bad Driving on the Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie, NY

I've witnessed my fair share of questionable driving maneuvers near the Mid-Hudson Bridge that range all the way from annoying to illegal. Many drivers have no problem risking a $450 fine when merging on the arterial, and others go even further by risking their lives with a new U-turn trend. What happened today, however, was more about human decency.

The encounter lasted under ten seconds, but it is still sticking with me hours later. It all started when I tried to change lanes on the approach to the bridge. I put on my blinker, checked my mirror, and started to turn my steering wheel.

Road Rage on the Mid-Hudson Bridge

Luckily, my car's safety feature alerted me that there was a car in my blind spot. I immediately returned to my lane and waited for the car to pass. I got my hand ready for the classic "sorry, didn't see you there" wave of apology, until I looked over and saw the passenger pressing their middle finger against the glass of their window, letting me know exactly how they felt about the situation. I was taken by surprised at how much it affected me.

I'm not here to clutch at my pearls or bemoan the fall of civilization, but the middle finger, an action I've seen countless times, struck a rare chord today. The weather was rainy, visibility was low, and I didn't see the car in my blind spot. An honest mistake, or so I thought. It made me wonder if those types of mistakes didn't exist anymore.

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With reports of road rage fights in the Hudson Valley, some being fatal, I've recently become extra sensitive to interactions I've had with drivers on the road. It also makes me wonder if one of the things I thought made our area so special is fading away.

One of my favorite parts about the Hudson Valley is a feeling of comradery. GoFundMe campaigns for local residents and businesses are constantly meeting their goals, my new favorite bar in Orange County feels like a scene out of Cheers (where everybody knows your name), and we collectively shake our fists at the crater-sized potholes on our roads. Have we run out of patience for each other?

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Maybe I should have started this off with an apology. Dear Audi, I'm sorry I frightened you this morning. Driving is dangerous enough without random cars almost veering into your lane, threatening to cause a headache-inducing fender-bender or worse. I hope your (and your nimble-fingered passenger's) day only get better... Hopefully to the point where you can react differently next time. We're all just trying to get to our destination safely.