Op/Ed

Letter to the editor: Rude Vermont driver made local feel unwelcome

I moved to Vermont in 2018 after my husband passed away unexpectedly. I have family in Vergennes and Ferrisburgh. I purchased a home in Vergennes in July of 2019.
The reason that the above is important is because of an incident that made me fearful and uncomfortable in my own state.
I was driving home from Shelburne on Wednesday, May 27, after dropping my car off to be repaired. My insurance company arranged for a rental vehicle for me to use. It was an almost-new gray sedan with Virginia license plates. While driving home on Route 7, a full-size pickup truck with large tires and Vermont plates started passing me where there was a double yellow line. He stayed almost parallel and kept coming into my lane. I felt like I was being forced off the road. Luckily there was a wide shoulder, but I did not  feel comfortable stopping, but did slow down hoping he would just go on by.
The man in the truck got very close, gave me the finger, and told me to go home, that I wasn’t welcome here. I assume this is due to the influx of out-of-staters who may bring more cases of COVID-19 into Vermont. 
By this time I was shaking and started to cry. I was frightened and at the same time angry that someone could be so hateful toward a fellow human being. Now when you see me driving around, there are three signs taped on the front and back of my car stating that I am a Vermont local and my vehicle is a rental.
I hope that this was an isolated incident and no one else has to go through what I experienced.
We can all be safe and compassionate at the same time. 
Susan Winters
Vergennes

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