By TERRY GOLDMANTo the driver of the car that I pulled out in front of without accelerating hard and who honked: This being New Mexico, I should have known that you were going straight through the intersection despite your signaling a right turn into the street that I was leaving, — New Mexico drivers have little concept of what a turn signal is for, and I should not have expected yours flashing to mean anything helpful.
To the driver of the car following me too closely on Diamond: I did not slam on the brakes to force you to zoom around me on my right. A dog or coyote (it ran so close in front of me that it was washed out in the glare of my headlights) flashed across the road in front of me and my slamming on the brakes was purely a reflex, not a warning to you. You did manage to avoid a collision with me anyway and perhaps you would have even if I had hit the animal and been slowed down that way.
To the (several) drivers of dark gray or black cars driving over our dark gray asphalt roads at dusk: I do not intend to concern you or threaten a collision, but without your headlights on, I can’t see you against that background until you are already very close.
So, my apologies to you all.
