Cruising down Likelike Highway on a late Saturday afternoon, the misty Koolaus as a backdrop, I caught a glimpse of a car in my rearview mirror rapidly accelerating behind me.

My picturesque drive to the Windward side was interrupted by an aggressive motorist who decided to tail my SUV carrying precious cargo: two happy-go-lucky, chattering children oblivious to the madman behind us.

The erratic driver then hazardously cut into the left lane, drove up close to my window ensuring that we made eye contact, then bolted down the road where less than a minute later we ended up side by side at a traffic light. The middle-age man glared at me with the stinkiest stink eye, looking like he wanted to explode. I had no idea why.

Against my better judgment, I rolled down the window. “What’s the problem?”

He proceeded to yell that I was driving too slow when, by the way, I was going the speed limit.

“I have kids in the car,” I retorted, before he quickly snapped, “That’s why you should be in the (expletive) slow lane!”

There was little traffic, so the punk could’ve simply gone around (which he did) and continued on his unmerry way.

“That’s why you’re mad? No aloha!” I replied, quickly rolling up the window before he could give a foulmouthed response.

I knew that I should not have engaged, but couldn’t help myself. I explained to the kids that you shouldn’t talk to crazed drivers because you never know what they might do.

Nearly eight of 10 drivers nationally express road rage, including tailgating or cutting off another vehicle and yelling or making angry gestures at other drivers, according to a survey released last week by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

It’s no surprise that our picture-perfect islands aren’t immune to the growing number of enraged drivers, despite a perception that we all live aloha among gorgeous rainbows, tranquil waterfalls and sunny beaches.

We’ve run out of patience or tolerance for our neighbors on this crowded speck in the middle of the Pacific. Wherever you turn, more and more people are rushing to get somewhere, leapfrogging vehicles to get in the front of the line.

I was one of the worst offenders.

But I’ve been consciously driving the speed limit ever since my latest unfortunate speeding ticket. Now I’m having to deal with hustling motorists incensed by my new law-abiding driving habits.

Gone are the days when you could take a leisurely weekend drive and not annoy other motorists. There is simply no time in this rat race to be cruising, even though we all end up at the same place eventually … stopped at a traffic light down the road.

“She Speaks” is a weekly column by women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Kristen Consillio at kconsillio@staradvertiser.com.