Rarely does anything happen in the world that makes me say, “Boy, that is like something you would see in Scarborough!”

Such a thing happened the other day, however. Did you see the item on the national news about the person in a minivan who was approaching a railroad crossing in an apparent hurry? A train was coming, and either red warning lights were flashing or those wooden “arms” were coming down to block traffic from crossing. The minivan driver – no doubt running late and with two kids in the car, the TV news said – simply went around the blockade. Only this time it was too late – the train was coming, and smashed into the minivan.

Luckily, no one was hurt.

Is it me, or do you know 50 people in Scarborough who have either done something like that which you have seen, or would? On deadline. Cannot be inconvenienced.

My favorite is people in 04074 land who park in handicapped parking spots despite the fact that they are not handicapped, nor do they have handicapped license plates.

Another classic Scarborough suburban yuppie trait nowadays is running not only yellow lights, but red lights!

A minor infraction is what you would call people going into those speedy “No More Than 14 Items” lanes, with far more than 14 items.

The conduct in the three above situations is not the significant thing to me; parking infractions, running red lights, and keeping other shoppers waiting while you piggily misuse the cash register system will not bring Apocalypse upon us.

The fun part is the explanations. I always enjoy, at least once a year, humorously confronting a person about to get in their car in, say, a bank handicapped-only parking space: “Looks like you’re recovering well from your injury?!”

The response inevitably starts with two words, “I just had to run in quickly,” or “I just had to park here because no other spots were available,” etc.

The running-yellow-lights-and-red-lights crowd are pretty predictable for Scarborough police, I am told –but occasionally one is bold, argumentative, defiant and ticked off to have been stopped!

“You expect us to stop at the yellow lights, but do you have any idea how long some of these red lights are in this town. If I had stopped, I would have never gotten to where I need to go!” one guy told a cop. The cop’s response, delivered dryly with a touch of salt, I am sure: “Well, I guess you didn’t get where you needed to go this time quickly, either.”

In the grocery store, the reaction of scofflaws to questions about above-quota good cargo loads is the opposite. It is usually incredulity, genuine shock and surprise that 23 items is more than 14! “Oh, is this more than I should have? Oh, my heavens. I am so sorry!”

A town where Tiger Moms and Dads brag about Chloe or Biff having SAT math scores off the charts having people who claim they cannot count to 14!

I have yet to see a Scarborough parent in a mini-van try to go “around” a barrier at a railroad crossing set up because a train was approaching and get hit by said train.

But, come to think of it, do we even have any railroad crossings in Scarborough where such barricades present themselves?

Dan Warren is a Scarborough lawyer and can be reached by private Facebook message at Jones and Warren Attorneys at Law.