Took Felix to the MVA to do his driver’s road test. He did great! Passed with flying colors – as did our car. I was nervous, I hadn’t checked all the lights and turn signals to absolutely 100% make sure that they were working, but hallelujah, they were. Now, he says, he’s “free” or at the very least “a real American” whatever that means.
Felix I am a truck driver’s daughter, granddaughter and niece. I grew up, sitting quietly at the supper table, listening to stories of accidents and stupid decisions by other drivers that often resulted in tragic endings.
In my family we each had to be able to drive a standard, know basic mechanics of a car and we started driving the minute our foot could reach the brake/gas pedal. I was 12. Getting a license at 15 or 16 and then just letting that teenager out on the roads was simply not enough experience to the men and women in my family. Driving is very serious business. As kids we drove mostly on country roads and at some point on long trips that didn’t involve major highways. The point was, experience is the best teacher. Assume everyone on the road around you does not have much experience behind the wheel of a car or truck.
You’re now licensed to drive a 3000-5000 pound hunk of metal on roads with people who probably shouldn’t even own keys to a car, let alone a car.
Remember you’re driving for at least six people. The four cars around you, you in the middle, and any of the cars in front or behind that you haven’t thought about.
Know how to change a tire or have a plan if your car has no spare tire BEFORE you drive the car. Have jumper cables in your car if you own that type of car. Fun fact, I once dumped a guy because he didn’t know how to jumpstart his car when it was dead after we came out of a restaurant. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t even have jumper cables in his car even if he had known how to use them! I had to ask another car owner they had jumper cables and then I had to teach the boyfriend how to jumpstart his car. He had to go! I mean, what good was he to me if he didn’t even know how to jumpstart his car!
There’s a very good reason why insurance rates are higher for young men (and not young women) between the ages of 16 and 26. Speed kills.
At minimum, according to the national car insurance industry, 10% of all drivers on the road today are mentally unstable.
These thoughts are not to scare you. They are to remind you that you are loved by soooo many people. So, you must be hypervigilant.
Driving is a privilege. It gives you freedom. But driving is also an enormous responsibility. A car is a tool, but it can also be a weapon, whether it’s intended to be or not.
Not everyone takes the responsibility of driving seriously. People drive drunk. People have guns in their cars. Give an aggressive driver space. Never panic. Stay out of their way. Do not let ego get in the way of safe driving.
Drive aware. Congratulations on getting your license. It’s quite a big step towards being an adult.