I’m not sure if this qualifies as revenge or as a fu a-hole story.

In 1980 I had a full-size Ford F250 truck, which is somewhat larger than a sedan. I was on a 2-lane highway in Massachusetts, when the national speed limit had been reduced to 55mph, down from the 65mph it had been previously (in order to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil), and to which it has returned today.

Back then, groups of cars would travel together in “wolf packs” at 10 to 20 miles over that speed limit. It was a reaction, a protest, to the lowered speed limit. I have never seen them since the limit was raised. We always felt safe, because who would the police stop? In the dozens of time I was with them, I never saw any police action. The 5 to 20 cars were always good drivers, moving smoothly amongst themselves and while passing other cars. It was almost like a ballet - smooth and beautiful to watch and be part of. When such a group came up on you, you could just join in and become one of them. It felt like some kind of liberation. Everyone was observant of the others, of course, because no one would want to be part of a reckless group of speedy vehicles. In all my experience, I only noticed one driver who was not “with it,” as a wolf pack is a team effort sort of thing. Perhaps he was a bit inebriated on alcohol or drugs.

One time, I was traveling at 65mph in front of four cars on a 2-lane highway where the oncoming traffic was too heavy for normal passing. The road had a shoulder wide enough to park a car beyond the white line. A speedy sports car came up behind us, and decided to pass each car, one by one, on the shoulder. He would pass each car, pull in front, and make the car passed pull back a bit to ensure adequate space between the vehicles. Passing on the shoulder is considered dangerous, because the vehicles being passed may or may not be aware of this vehicle, and, who knows, how much in control they are in, considering its relatively unusual nature. I would be surprised if any of these other drivers weren’t concerned about this. I could see that the car had quick pickup, and that the driver had a fast reaction time.

So…when it was in the process of speeding up and passing my truck - the ground beyond the shoulder was at the exact same level as the pavement, so I knew it was safe for what I was about to do - I merely moved over to the right three feet, forcing the car to be half on the shoulder and half on the grass. You won’t believe how fast he sped out of there and didn’t slow down until he was out of sight. Hopefully, he learned a lesson. I pumped both arms in the air several times in celebration. I assume several of the drivers behind me could see me doing this in silhouette. I like to imagine that some of them were laughing and cheering, but how could I ever know?