I’m teaching my son how to drive, and we’ve reached a very important lesson that, for reasons I cannot explain, the DMV has completely neglected to include in its driver’s manual.

How to identify people you absolutely should not fuck with based entirely on what they’re driving.
Now, I’m not saying we should judge people by their vehicles. But some drivers deserve a little extra room on the road. Others deserve a psychological evaluation and possibly their own documentary series. So I’ve put together a completely unscientific list for my son’s education. Starting with good ol’ Ford.

1994 Ford Explorer: This person has absolutely nothing left to lose. The check engine light has been on since the Clinton administration. The driver’s side window is held up with a screwdriver, and the transmission only shifts into third if you ask it nicely. You think threatening to sue this person is going to accomplish something? They have been ignoring certified letters from Ford for 28 years.
Nissan Altima with a missing bumper: Maintain a safe distance. That vehicle has survived six accidents, three repossession attempts, and at least one police pursuit that nobody in the family discusses. The driver considers turn signals an invasion of privacy. Their insurance company has a restraining order.

Lifted Dodge Ram: This man spent $14,000 modifying a truck to look like it can climb Mount Everest. It has never been farther off-road than the gravel parking lot at Buffalo Wild Wings. He will tailgate you for driving 78 in a 75, then spend eleven minutes trying to back into a parking space at Costco. His truck payment is higher than his mortgage, and he’s willing to discuss both at a volume normally reserved for aircraft emergencies.

Subaru Outback: Don’t underestimate these people. They appear peaceful, but they have extremely strong opinions about reusable grocery bags, hiking trail etiquette, and whether your dog should be allowed off-leash. They have a first-aid kit, emergency blankets, three kinds of granola, and enough documentation to successfully prosecute you in small claims court. They won’t fight you physically. They’ll destroy just totally you at a public hearing.

Harley-Davidson: This man has spent $32,000 on a motorcycle and another $18,000 making it sound like it’s having mechanical difficulties. He has a leather vest covered in patches commemorating places he’s eaten breakfast. He calls his friends brothers, his motorcycle his baby, and his actual wife from a gas station somewhere outside Sturgis. Don’t argue with him. He can’t hear you anyway.

Sport bike: This person has the survival instincts of a moth trapped inside a porch light. They own a helmet worth more than their refrigerator and consider 120 mph a reasonable speed for testing whether their new gloves fit. Their mother has been worried since 2009. She is correct.

Jeep Wrangler: These people have formed an entire religious organization around removing perfectly functional doors. They wave at strangers, collect rubber ducks, and willingly pay $60,000 for a vehicle that sounds like a commercial dishwasher on the freeway. They will drive through a flooded creek for entertainment, then complain when the dealership refuses to honor the warranty.

Twenty-five-year-old Toyota Corolla: Do not bother threatening this person financially. They haven’t made a car payment since 2007. Their vehicle has 380,000 miles, one surviving hubcap, and a cassette tape permanently stuck in the stereo. They have achieved a level of financial independence the rest of us can only dream about. They will outlive us all.

Mazda: This crazy-ass person believes they’re driving a BMW that simply hasn’t reached its full potential. They bought the car because it was practical, reliable, and affordable, then immediately started taking freeway on-ramps like they’re qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. They will explain, completely unprompted, that Mazdas have excellent handling and that the engineers designed the car around the driver. Nobody asked. Their Mazda3 has 186 horsepower, but they’re using every single one of them to pass a minivan on a residential street. They don’t have road rage. They have a deeply personal disagreement with the speed limit and an unreasonable amount of confidence in Japanese suspension engineering.

Ford F-150 with mismatched body panels: This man knows seventeen ways to repair a vehicle using baling wire, electrical tape, and profanity. He has a socket wrench in his cupholder and an unidentified engine component rolling around under the passenger seat. The truck has failed emissions testing in three states, but somehow starts every morning. He doesn’t have roadside assistance. He IS roadside assistance.

Honda Civic with an exhaust pipe the size of a coffee can: The driver is 19, the car is 27, and both believe they’re professional race car drivers. The vehicle produces 94 horsepower and 140 decibels. It takes eleven seconds to reach 60 mph, but the entire neighborhood gets to participate in the experience.

And finally, the farmer driving a 1973 tractor down a two-lane highway.
Leave that person the hell alone.
They are traveling at 14 mph, have 600 acres of unfinished work, and haven’t experienced a peaceful moment since the Nixon administration. The tractor has no suspension, the brakes are more of a suggestion, and the farmer is sitting on a metal seat specifically designed to aggravate every spinal injury they’ve accumulated since childhood.
They know you’re behind them.
They saw you seventeen minutes ago.

They will pull over when they get to a suitable place, which may or may not exist before the county line.
And if you honk, they’re going to slow down to nine miles an hour just to give you a few extra minutes to reconsider your behavior.

This is not road rage. This is agricultural conflict resolution.

Anyway, my son is learning that driving isn’t just about knowing the rules of the road. It’s also about recognizing when the person in the next lane has absolutely no intention of following them.
I feel like I’m doing an excellent job preparing him for adulthood. Although the DMV may disagree.