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New Day Cafe - Tales from the Highways: The Magnetizers [1]

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Date: 2025-04-24

I’ve done a lot of driving in my adult life, and I’ve always taken pride in being a responsible driver. At various times I have posted comments about awful drivers, but never have it made it a diary topic. Having just endured a weekend trip through Atlanta traffic, my thoughts have returned to that subject.

There is a certain type of motorist for whom I have coined my own term. I call them magnetizers. They come up behind you; but instead of passing and getting out of your view, they attach their vehicle to yours as though they’re under the spell of a giant, unseen electromagnet. Some tailgate. Some pull up next to you in an adjacent lane and match your speed. Unless you take active steps to shake them, their car will be friends with your car forever.

Why does this bother me? Simple math, and simple common sense about safety. Let’s say you are driving down that highway in the above picture. What are the odds of a wreck? Very close to zero, unless you do something stupid. Now, what if you are the same road, and someone is tailgating you for no reason — and a deer leaps in front of you? The odds just went up. Now, let’s go to a busy Interstate highway where one car is tailgating you, and another has magnetized itself to a blind spot. You catch my drift. Driving is not a social event. I don’t want anyone clinging to me, ever.

Allow me to entertain my fellow Newdists with the two most extreme magnetizing events that I’ve ever experienced. The first one happened in the early 1990s. I lived in Oregon at the time, and had flown to Arkansas for forestry business. At the end of the trip, I stayed with a friend in Texarkana. Next morning, I headed for Little Rock on Interstate 30. Just past the state line at Exit 2, a van came down the on-ramp at the very moment I was passing the ramp.

Immediately the driver of the van magnetized to my rear bumper. I already had plenty of experience dealing with such people, so I dug into my bag of tricks. First thing I did was to slow down when there was nobody in the left lane. Certainly he’d take the hint and get on with his trip. Nope, still there. Okay, I’ll speed up to 70 (that was in the Good Old Days when we had the national speed limit of 55). Nope, still there.

I took a good look in the mirror. Did the guy look like a criminal or a terrorist? No, it was just a young couple with two kids. A few miles down the highway, I came upon a group of big rigs. I passed one truck and squeezed in front of it, leaving no room for the van driver to fit in behind me. Mr. Magnetizer waited patiently in the left lane, slightly behind me, refusing to pass. Meanwhile, he was preventing the other folks in the left lane from passing. Cars and trucks lined up behind him.

Eventually enough space opened up between me and the big rig, and the van pulled in behind me.

This cat-and-mouse game went on for more than fifty miles. Now, I knew I-30 very well, because I had once lived in that part of the world. I knew that a rest area was coming up. I waited until I had nearly passed the ramp. At the last fraction of a second, I made a hard right onto the ramp. Mr. Magnetizer could not react in time, and he continued down the highway.

That’s how far I endured Magnetic Man. 54 miles!

The other event happened in Georgia, on State Highway 74 west of Macon. This is a two lane road that traverses rolling hills. Every few miles, there’s a passing lane. Traffic is usually fairly light.

One morning while I was westbound, I glanced in my mirrors to see a car approaching from behind. Obviously, the driver was going faster than me. Logic would dictate that she would pass at the first opportunity, and that would be the last I’d ever see of her. Nope, it was Magnetizing Time! We went through several straight stretches with no oncoming traffic. I thoughtfully slowed down and moved to the right side of my lane so that she had the best view possible. Wouldn’t pass. Wasn’t gonna happen.

Finally we reached a passing lane. I slowed down again. Her car was magnetized to my truck. Out of frustration, I took my foot completely off the gas, coasted to a stop, and pulled onto the shoulder. Looked in my mirror again. Guess who was still behind me, on the shoulder of the road, stopped. Yes, it was the Magnet Lady! Suddenly she looked up. She appeared to be stunned (there’s that word) for a moment before gathering her senses and driving away.

This is where I pulled onto the shoulder.

Okay folks, it’s your turn to share what’s on your mind today. See you in the comments!

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