You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy™
Driving with a new driver.
You see that curb?
You check that side view mirror?
Oh man that car is close!
You aren’t planning on driving with the rear wiper on the whole way are you?
My son is 15. He’s a good kid, but he’s 15. He’s a smart kid, but he’s 15. He’s a polite kid, and he’s 15.
He has a driving permit. That means he’s less than a year away from getting his license.
God help us all. Just what the world needs; another teenager with 2,000 pounds strapped to his ass!
This is my 3rd time going through the teenage driving course.
I’m not really worried. It’s like lancing a boil. You know it will hurt, but when it’s over, there will be a lot less puss and pressure.
I’m not sure if that is really what teenage driving course are like, but, I digress.
My 1st son has had no driving issues. My daughter has been in two car wrecks. One her fault – one not so much.
Now we’re on to driver three. It’s a highway crap shoot every time you take it out of park.
It’s easy to say a new driver is more prone to wrecking.
New kid. Inexperienced. I get it.
But I also think teenagers are safer than long time drivers who take driving for granted.
Most adults think driving is a right, not a privilege.
I think we can all learn from our kids.
I watch my son drive and the rules are fresh in his head.
10 and 2 on the wheel.
Check the rear view mirror. Once Twice Three times a lady.
Not even sure what that means.
His foot is on the brake or hovering near the brake. As opposed to you, his first instinct is to slow down or stop.
Slow is his speed. Safety and cautious and polite driving ettiquete his style.
He has about 1 hour of driving time behind the wheel.
In driving time, he’s the motoring equivalent of placenta.
Again, not really sure what that means.
He is a driving neophyte who doesn’t yet realize his middle finger is another way to signal a lane change.
Texting and driving? To my son, that’s sacrilegious, like a New Yorker eating pizza with a fork.
Watching him drive makes me think about my own driving habits.
Like you I’m multi tasking, singing with the radio, knitting a sweater for my mom, playing words with friends in Japanese.
I drive on instincts, mostly. I’m like a trade wind blowing out of the Gulf. I just float in capriciously, with stealth, blowing back your new hair do. I feel the speed limit, I sense the course of navigation, I ease on down the road with my own sense of right and wrong.
Manual?
We don’t need no stinking manuals.
Manuals are for people with furniture from Akia.
I know how to drive. I’ve been driving for 35 years.
How hard is it? Steering wheel. Mirror. Brake.
Here’s a representative question from the California driving code.
Question 1: What does an eight-sided sign mean?
A. Yield
B. Stop
C. Wrong way
D. Octopus crossing.
Question 2: At an intersection with a four-way stop, which driver can go first?
A. The driver that reached the intersection first
B. The driver to the left of you
C. The driver in front of youD. The driver with the bigger gun.
Question 3: How far ahead should you look when you are on the open highway?
A. About one mile
B. About a quarter of a mile
C. About a half of a mileD. Into your own soul to see if you are the heartless bastard everyone says you are.
Question 4: Why shouldn’t you rely on another driver’s signal light to turn?
A. The lights may have been left on from an earlier turn
B. The vehicle may be turning another way
C. The lights may not be working properlyD. The driver could be as dumb as you.
I still don’t know the answer to number 2.
I know this, because I pulled up to a stop sign at the same time as another motorist. We stared at each other.
It was a Mexican stand off, each of us wondering who should go, who had the right of way.
We are both using hand motions like an Italian family reunion.
So, the next time you see one of those little cars stuffed with kids and a big sign that says “Driving School”, don’t laugh. Salute them.
The future of the motoring public is before you.
In Asphalt we trust.
Life’s Crazy™