I had a fairly interesting event today while driving back to work after lunch. Ok, maybe not that interesting, but thought provoking to me at least. Skip to the (*)for the question if you don't like to read.
I was driving down Front street back to work and there's a stop light at a four lane intersection that doesn't allow left turns from the direction I was traveling. There was a truck with LA plates (most likely a pipeliner working up here in the oil fields, pertinent later) in the left lane, which is straight only, clearly marked on the ground and on the sign by the light. He'd been sitting there with his blinker on for as long as I could see his vehicle as I approached. I gave him plenty of room to turn out in the event I needed to, but the right lane was packed tight. As I patiently waited like a rock in a river, others piled up behind me and "Mr. I can't see signs". The light cycles TWICE. Again, I'm calm in traffic, I'll get there when I get there, but the folks behind me were getting impatient. Horns began to honk. I could see the pipeliner getting frustrated and raising his hands. Then he started fumbling with something on his passenger seat. (right lane is still packed, only way out was to turn left into the oncoming lanes).
The light cycles again and we're still going nowhere. He REALLY wants to turn left at the "no left turn" light! More honking ensues. He's getting even more animated with his hand gestures and finger flying but I'm not so certain that he doesn't know that it's not ME that's honking. So, I clear my cover garment on my pistol (3 o'clock) just in case whatever he was fumbling with was something nasty. Something caught my eyes just below where I was looking at the back of his head... the "reverse" lights flashed. He'd put his vehicle in park (automatics do that, standards won't). The door opens and he flies out. Nothing in his hands but my hands went to the gun in it's holster. He did his posturing, yelled a bit, jumped back in his truck and ran the red light... turning left of course.
BTW, not all pipeliners are dirtbags, but it seems that all dirtbags are pipeliners around here.
(*)My question is this. When you're in your vehicle and you think stuffs about to go down... do you reach for your seat belt disconnect first or for your pistol? Is mobility more important or is the ability to get your gun out?
This all stems from the after thought of just how vulnerable I was sitting directly behind this pipeliner, er... bad driver if he'd come out with a bat or a gun. The problem arises because I couldn't go right even though I'd left enough room and there was oncoming traffic (intermittent) on the left. I probably could have ran his arse over, but then I'd be in the middle of the other lane. I'll say this, the mental jumping jacks I've already done have left me leaning more one way than the other, but I'd like some other opinions.