I'm launching my own personal social experiment. Starting tomorrow morning, for 72 hours I'm going to drive by the book, to the letter of the law.  If the speed limit is 25 mph, I'm doing 25 mph. Same for every other traffic law no matter how minor. Just to see what happens.

Let me explain. Last night New Jersey's two year old crosswalk law came into play. I was waiting to make a left turn when someone was behind me but a pedestrian was in the crosswalk. The pedestrian was nowhere near me, was going the opposite way and my car could have made it's turn and not been in the pedestrian's path whatsoever. Just to see what would happen, I decided to comply fully with the law, not moving my car one single inch until that pedestrian was completely out of their crosswalk and up over the curb. Sure enough, the driver behind me went BALLISTIC even though I was driving the way the law dictates I am now supposed to drive.

So it got me thinking about all the traffic laws that don't necessarily match up with real world driving. Beginning tomorrow morning and for the following 72 hours I've decided, as a social experiment, to fully obey all traffic laws down to the most painstaking detail. I will come to absolute complete stops. I will comply with the stupid crosswalk law in full. I will not go above any posted speed limit, not even by half a mile an hour. I will do everything the way the state of New Jersey says we are supposed to, and I'll take mental notes. When it's all over, I'll report back here with how many horns were blown, how many middle fingers were raised, how many near collisions were caused, how much road rage happened.

Check back Friday for the answers.

 

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