My son and his driving

[Anonymous]

This is fascinating. I thought it was just me! I was terrified to drive as a teenager. I didn’t even think of getting my license at 16. I finally had to get it when I was about 20. I lived in a rural area with no public transportation. I have had a couple of minor accidents, nothing too bad, but certainly due to lack of focus. Over time I have become an extremely paranoid driver. My husband calls me Mable when I drive. I drive very carefully, I take forever to pull out pf parking spaces, and I hate passing and merging on the freeway. I just feel like there have been enough close calls. Even with all the care I take now, I still end up cutting people off once in a while and I often drive through an intersection and then feel like I have to ask myself if the light was green. Or the opposite, I stop at a green light. Does anyone else do this? Also, I cannot ride with another driver. It almost makes my skin crawl to be a passenger. I really have to force myself, I have even had to take Xanax in order to let someone else drive!

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

I’m with scoside on this. When I drive, I become AWAKE. I’m focused and alert. I’m well aware of my surroundings and can see accidents with other cars happen before they occur (several occasions now).

I’m impatient, I’m fast, I’m proactive–I’m alive. And I’m far safer than the slow pokes prodding along on mental auto pilot, chatting and checking out the countryside.

I’ve only ever love-tapped people in tight city driving just a few times in my 20’s. Nothing more than that, which I don’t do anymore.

I’ve always wondered if I have the type of ADD with the occasional presentation of the H, where my mind comes alive on immediate tasks that put my best skills to work. I’m good in a crisis and when a crisis can come from what I’m doing (driving is dangerous), I’m awake.

ps. I also frighten people when they drive with me. I find myself becoming passive, unproductive and part of the traffic problem when I have passengers for two reasons: They talk and because if I drive my regular way, they get a’scared. And actually, my frustration level rises as I realize how farther down the road I would have been, away from the lurking dangers of passive drivers around me–which I am also now passive.

pps. I’m a good passenger to have if you drive like me–you might apologize at first, and I’m like, “As long as you’re safe, you’re all good!”. I only become a backseat driver if you’re passive, letting everyone get in front of you, not taking your turn in a prompt manner, and the worse sin of all: building a trail of cars behind us who cannot get around. For someone like me, that is the WORST feeling in the world as a passenger to be in THE car holding up progress and there is nothing I can do about it..

ppps. The Germans have it right: While in the car, the driver is the boss and has an XFiles style driving job to do (heh). So shut up, and don’t distract him/her until you get there.

REPORT ABUSE

[laddybug3]

I just got my license today. So far I hit the house.

When I was 16 had a horrible driving instructor who took a ruler out and measured how close we parked from the curb. He told me to press the gas peddle because I was going to slow. Stop signs scared me because there were cars coming by me, and I never knew when to go or not. I felt like that video on this site were the bike rider is at the stop light and never goes. He also failed me and I also had an accident revolving around a guardrail.

Well, I drove to the store. Forgot temporary how to reverse the car. This made me get out for a few seconds and check the tires. Something my driving instructor did in high school.

The plan is my mom is going with me, but I am doing the driving. I really don’t feel safe driving by myself. The plan is that we are going to drive to the library. I love the library for some reason.

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts