Getting a Little Dicey

Sometimes even I question my sanity when it comes to getting a shot I envision. Me and my buddy used to say we just like to hear the shutter click sometimes and this reminds me of an example of that. I was heading home from work and the sky was getting better by the minute so I started down back roads to see what I could find. So I see this wet section on the road ahead and for some reason I felt this is it and I just had to record this. I had to park about a hundred yards away and till I got here and set up, the sky was nothing by a dark mass. I was optimistic it would get better so I settled in for the duration.

Now I come to the reality that I literally need to have my tripod at the edge of the road to get the color and reflection to show and with my tripod as low as it goes, the legs extend almost 2 feet out from the camera position. When I first set up, it was very light out and my genius plan was to stand right beside my tripod at the edge of the road so cars would give me a wide berth because it appeared I was ready to cross the street to the house. Everything is going great and everyone is going wide as they pass, but then I start to notice its getting darker and cars are seemingly getting closer. Right about then I hear this pickup truck thundering down the road in my direction and I stay put and he never so much as blinked an eye as he passed me about 2 feet or less. I was thinking the guy was trying to send a message, but then I looked at my attire and I had on dark blue jeans, a black sweatshirt and brown hat and I realized he never even knew I was there. The red streaks are his tail lights as he blew by me. The sky did in fact get better but I keep asking myself why so risky for this so-so image?