The fast and furious woman driver

There are two kind of women drivers in my family – the timid, slow drivers who think they drives safely and the fast-and-furious multi-tasking drivers.

Take my eldest aunt, Nyah, for an instance. A former high school teacher, Nyah drives slowly – and allegedly – safely. But then again, she had been in more minor accidents compared to any of her brothers. Once she had been hit by a car at a junction, merely a hundred metres away from her home, when her car was practically crawling on the road. So much for driving slowly equates driving safely, huh?

Then there’s my youngest auntie, Chik – a polytechnic lecturer who could hit 100 km/h while simultaneously adjusting her tudung, taking a quick bite on a snack and halting the kids’ tussle in the back seat. When her family got into accidents, usually it would be Pak Chik who was behind the wheel.

Personally, I think I take after Chik more than Nyah.

This morning though, on my way to work, I encountered a rude fast-and-furious woman driver.

I was waiting on the right lane at a t-junction, intending to slip in the left lane when the traffic light turns green to go straight. I killed the time by admiring the possibly-washed-and-waxed-over-the-weekend clean and shiny black Toyota SUV which was next to me, the first vehicle on the left lane.

As soon as the traffic light turned green, I made my attempt to slip in the left lane. But alas - the brown seemingly beaten Proton Saga which was behind the Toyota SUV allowed no mercy. A Malay lady, clad in pink tudung, recklessly drove the Proton Saga very close to the SUV, giving me no space to slip in at all.

Duh! That was rather uncalled for. It’s not like I was attempting an illegal steal. I mean, after all, I was allowed to go straight from the right lane. Anybody who can read road signs can tell that from the white straight-and- curved-joint arrows on the road.

The lady in pink tudung drove faster, trying to increase the distance between us, but she still had to stop at the next traffic light – right in front of me.

Then she drove fast again, putting more distance. But at the following junction, there was no other car between hers and mine.

I was only beginning to enjoy this “you-cannot-catch-me” game she played when she had to slow down, following a long queue of vehicles at a roundabout. Then she made a mistake.

She hastily sneaked into the right lane. Learning from my daily experiences, I opted to remain on the left lane, which moved slowly but surely, unlike the right lane which could be at a standstill for longer period.

As I drove slowly, passing by the lady in pink tudung in her brown and not-quite-beaten Proton Saga, I glanced and gave her a smile… More like a half smirk actually. One that says “Sorry lady – better luck next time.”

Granted, perhaps she was late for work. Or she just needed to let off some steam by driving fast and showing no mercy. Or she had been making multiple stops and thought she was running late - after all today was the first day of school after a two-week break. Still, it didn't explain why she was ramming her oil pedal so recklessly to ensure I wouldn't be in front of her. It also didn't explain why she tried to put a lot of distance between us as we drove along, almost as if admitting her guilt of not being courteous enough to allow me way.

Recalling how reckless and inconsiderate she was, I made a promise to myself not to be an inconsiderate driver no matter how fast or seemingly furious I drive…