A dog lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping prevented the oxen from eating the hay which had been placed for them. “What a selfish Dog!” said one of them to his companions; “he cannot eat the hay himself, and yet refuses to allow those to eat who can.”
Does this anecdote from Aesop’s Fables sound familiar? If you have ever driven on a highway, it must. This fable tells the story of a “Dog in the Manger” who spitefully prevents others from using something for which it has no use. Aesop’s dog prevented the oxen from eating the hay. Other versions have him keeping a horse from its dinner. Whatever animal you choose, there is a striking similarity to the drives you find snarling on the road.
The modern-day “Dog in the Manger” is the driver who putters along slowly on the highway. When you attempt to pass him, however, he shows his fangs and speeds up in a dangerous bid to try to stop you from overtaking. He doesn’t want to go faster than a crawl and he doesn’t want anyone else to either. Pollara Strategic Insights recent February “Rage Index” found that 82 per cent of respondents were “very angry” or “annoyed” by “people who speed up when you try to pass them.” This move is especially common on long trips on two-lane highways. Let’s call men who do it “dog racers.”
I say “men” because it’s almost exclusively males who pull this asinine move. Sure, some females are guilty, but not that many.
What is it about “being passed” by another automobile that triggers a panic response from insecure male egos? Not to burrow too far down the psychoanalytical rabbit hole, but it seems to be painfully emasculating to some (mostly male) drivers. Perhaps they’ve watched too many car races on film and television. Think: the “Chicken Run” from Rebel Without a Cause or the “Thunder Road Race” from Grease.
I suppose the thinking is that a real alpha male would never let anyone pass him on the highway, even if he has been driving 85 kilometres an hour in a zone marked for 100. Such a grievous blow to their manhood would be the first step into Betaville.
I’ve narrowed it down to three theories, aside from ego, that explain why a driver might be a “dog racer.”
The first theory, which I call Tuned Out theory” (TOT) maintains that as a result of travelling slow speeds for long distances, drivers become zombie-like. The act of being passed jolts them to their senses. Once awakened, they snap to attention and try to keep up with the competition. It’s a nice theory in that it does not ascribe any ill-intentions. I believe TOT has some limited merit.
Some cite this behaviour as an example of Social Comparison Theory (SCT), which was popularized in 1954 by American psychologist Leon Festinger. He maintained that there was a primitive drive within human beings to compare themselves with others to evaluate their self-worth, skills and opinions. Festinger also developed the theory of cognitive dissonance. According to a PositivePsychology.com article by Alicia Nortje, individuals compare themselves upward and downward using SCT thinking. For example:
Upward: “My neighbour inspires me. If he can run a half-marathon, then so can I.”
Downward: “I feel happy knowing that I beat my neighbour in the half-marathon.”
With dog racers we can theorize that the upward and downward SCT beliefs are as follows:
Upward: “That other driver is driving fast and will pass me. If he can drive fast, then so can I and I will do it right now, at the exact same time as him, on the exact same road, travelling in the exact same direction, even at the risk of causing a terrible accident.”
Downward: “The other driver is passing me. I am worthless, there is no point in living. I may as well speed as fast as I can now, even though I was content for what seemed like hours to crawl along like a slug. I will perish in one last glorious act of self-immolation. If we all die, so be it.”
The last and most compelling theory is the Bad Driver Theory (BDT). Created earlier this week by me, it holds that anyone who speeds up to prevent you from passing is a very bad driver and probably an awful human being.
Whatever theory you buy – TOT, SCT or BDT – drivers who speed up when you try to pass them are a menace. Don’t be one.
Andrew Clark