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Safe Driving
Safe Driving
The Life You Save
Stay Calm And Drive
When I was eight years old I secured a Boat coming ashore carrying a four hundred pounds Fish. adventure was in my Blood, twelve years old we built Go Karts to race Downhill. Many days we went home bruised and battered, but that’s what crazy kids fascinated with speed do for the adrenaline rush. My problem is far too many people never lost the fascination for speed, every time they get behind the Wheel they Run the Gauntlet, even to the Grocery Store three Blocks away ( am I good or what) Driving should never be a scary event of near misses, if this describes your driving, It’s time to change your driving habits.
Sixteen going seventeen I started going to Driving School, with money Earned from working part time. I could not wait to get behind the wheel. What happened was in my early years of Speed Racer, racing downhill, to find out that the Brakes don’t work, I developed what I call Motion Sickness, the need for speed. If it had wheels, I’m riding, I was now ready for the challenges of our Roadways. Make no mistake the challenge of going with your speed hunger, or to be Rational and ask yourself do you want to go out that way, Or disfigured for life. From six to ten , I observed my older Cousin who became an Engineer came Home with a Cast on each Limbs, and a full Body Cast. He rode a Harley.
That’s exactly what rationality is. Most Drivers lacks rationality.When I worked in Construction we had a saying, you could be doing it for fifty years, if you don’t know what you are doing, the years doesn’t matter. So why should driving be different. When we are kids we sat in the middle of the back seat so we see how the driver is operating the vehicle. The learning process begins, if dad is a bad driver we absorb his bad habits thinking that they are cool, ok or acceptable. If you are an apprentice tradesman and your mentor is someone who cuts corners to stay ahead of schedule when you are on your own you will do the same, until one day the Building you wired burns to the ground. It is the same with driving, if you are used to running red lights one day you will find yourself embeded under a Tractor trailer if you are used to traveling too fast one day they will have to use the Jaws of Life to get you out of your fine automobile.
Are you following me bad habits one day will bite you on the ass like your credit score or your attendance record. Case in point John at eighty years old lost his license for accumulating too many speeding tickets, way later but nonetheless it finally caught up with him, who is going to take him to where he needs to go. Mary lost her’s for too many Wrecks charged to her reckless driving. All her life she drove top of the line cars and crashed them like they were five hundred dollar heaps, like the heaps I drove when I started driving.
Only difference is I learned the art of driving by twenty one. In almost fifty years of driving I had one serious crash when I was twenty, that was caused by a bad driver who cut me off within one car length, then took his foot off the gas on an ice slicked road. I learned from that one bad accident, for the next forty eight years, never had another bad crash.
There is nothing unique about my driving skills and habits, I see good drivers out there every day. But I hate to say it, bad drivers outnumber good drivers twenty to one. My one bad accident stayed with me the rest of my life like hitting the re- play button I side -swiped five other vehicles ripped up twenty five yards of guardrail crashing through and nailed in the fast Lane by a car doing sixty five, no brakes applied. Now do you understand why I chose to write about the subject. The Lord kept me here to tell foolish people who think that driving is a joke or a game. Your life and others are in your hand when you get behind the wheel. Ok so you don’t get killed or no one die from your careless driving, have you ever seen what mangled metal do to flesh and bone, it’s not pretty. Why should you wait to be looking at death’s door like I did for you to become a contintentous Motorist. Precious left us at nineteen when the driver of the car she was in hit a Light Pole sending her through the Windshield. You can dodge the Bullet for a lifetime one day your bad driving habits will catch up with you or some poor unsuspecting soul, so please do not test the hand of Fate
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At seventeen I was a passenger driven by my twenty year old friend. Gary and Owen were both friends I grew up with, coincidentally they both acquired New Cars at the same time. At that time in my life I never missed a weekend of partying. On this particular Saturday there were several parties going on the same day so we bounced from one to the next, at each one having two or three mixed drinks.This was my first encounter with Buz Driving, while bouncing to the last party of the night the Drivers decided to race two brand new cars. Growing up with them I thought that they were level headed and rational people, boy was I wrong we hit speeds of up to one hundred and twenty Mph.
The exit ramp came up fast we entered the ramp at ninety with two wheels in the air, they say that the Lord looks out for babies and fools, how we survived that night with two Drunks racing was a miracle. The learning process had begun, that one night had taught me what could not have been taught in driving school, which stayed with me for the rest of my life.
People think that they are cool getting behind the wheel buzzed enough to fail a sobriety test, but sober enough to think that they are still in control. Precious was a childhood friend of mine who went to a party and choose to ride home with a Drunk, the car hit a light pole, Precious went through the Windshield, dead at nineteen. A lot of us did crazy things when we were nineteen, some of us grow out of stupidity, some never change until they are going to a Funeral, theirs. I absorbed all that was going on around me so by the time I got my Drivers license I was matured beyond my years, and had enough rationality to stay alive out there. It’s no wonder that at eighteen I was driving Taxi in Manhattan, one of the most congested places in the world.
Driving Taxi in Manhattan was like going to Driving University. I quickly honed the Art of Motoring, I hope you noticed the word Motoring, there are many drivers out there, very few Motorists, fewer good ones and less great Motorists. I’ll tell you what makes a great Motorist, one day in chinaTown I came upon an intersection where I could not see five feet beyond the white line, I had the right of way which I yielded because I could not see what was approaching. That move saved my life, a Truck barreled through the stop sign without even pumping his brakes if I didn’t give up the right of way I would have been killed.
That’s what motoring is, using good judgment all the time while you are behind the wheel.I would prefer to be a good motorist than a great Driver, they are sometimes overcome by overconfidence and end up being reckless. Overconfidence is one of the major causes of Automobile fatalities. Another incident of being a good motorist, heading north on Park Avenue I came upon a changing light, looked in my rearview mirror to notice that the car following was too close for me to obey the red light, I ran the light intentionally to avoid being rear ended, so did he. Bad drivers expects others to drive accordingly run red lights as they do, that’s what causes so many accidents. It appears that some people only read the manual to pass the written test, once they pass the written test It’s make it up as you go along. Then It’s like the other half of the people on the Road didn’t read the Driving Manual at all. For example at a four way intersection who has the right of way and who goes first, same as a Roundabout, I once lived in an Apartment complex with a Roundabout, they entered and exit randomly going counter can be costly. The driver to the right always have the right of way.
This is sounding like 101 but fundamentals enough to mention to a young driver who read the Drivers Manual selectively, it all comes together in the equation of creating good Motorists. If you are a new driver who’s been driving for less than two years and you pick up bad driving habits early in your journey you keep them for life until one fateful day. Little things like yielding, signalling, spacing and not Barreling through Traffic, instead gradually overtaking, can save you and others a lot of grief. Once traveling I 80 west on a perfectly clear cold day through the Pocono Mountains. I came over a mountain and I was in an atmospheric disturbance. One hundred and fifty yards of Hwy covered with four inches of snow. Before and after this stretch of Roadway no Snow, cars all over the woods, tractors jackknifed total catastrophe.
As soon as I entered the zone I immediately started looking for my out, “always have an out, both Shoulders”Truck was at a dead stop in front of me, I looked in my rearview to see the vehicle following me was coming too fast and even If I was able to stop without rear ending the Truck the vehicle following me would have pushed me under it. With the touch of a Feather I veered away from the Truck in front of me, the vehicle following me slammed on his brakes and skidded under the Truck. Lesson learned, never overdrive under any circumstances, not Snow, rain, darkness or blind Bends. Even on a perfectly dry road the Driver in front of you could stop on a dime for whatever reason, like recognising the street number, but because you are traveling too fast his rear Bumper becomes your target. These are all incidents that separates a good motorist from the crowd. Always calculating always vigilant of what could go wrong in a bad traffic pattern, and be ready to do evasive maneuvers.
Even at two am with two cars on the Roadway. The later you have to be out there, Especially on the weekends the greater the possibility of encountering Drunks. What drunks don’t know is that motion accelerates the feeling of being inebriated, by the time you exit a vehicle you are twice as drunk than when you entered that vehicle. You don’t believe me sit on a Barstool for half an hour belting drinks then stand up. I will forever be talking about drunks behind the wheel, I have seen the damage done. The most notable, a major league Coach driving off the road into a one mile ditch. He had been driving drunk for many years till it finally caught up to him. In my neck of the woods over the past four years there have been at least six wrong way fatalities, each time a Drunk entered the exit ramp and was so wasted traveling miles without recognising that they were going the wrong way. Penalties for drunk driving should be stiff enough to discourage driving drunk. The Emt personnel who got killed by a habitual drunk who have done time for the same offence many times would agree, and he still would be alive if the penalties weren’t so slack.
Don’t forget my nineteen year old friend she died, while the driver was so lucid he suffered not a scratch. Over the years as I earlier stated if it had wheels l drove it including Trucks and Backing up Industrial Extension Lifts one mile to start working, most Truck Drivers holds the attitude that those vehicles have the same agility and the same wheelbase ability as Cars, along with a poor attitude about sharing the Road. Most of all their safety records are to say the least poor. Once driving commercially transporting a Scissors Lift, descending a Snow covered Road so treacherous vehicles were skidding all over, the load that I was towing was at one point traveling side by side. Riggs towing up to three Trailers are very dangerous especially in Crashes. If they aren’t properly maintained they are all the more dangerous. Even more so is Road Rage, which I believe was started by Truckers who got cut off by aggressive Drivers. On the Downhill they are killers up to 90 mph.Any impact is devastating. Years ago on the Pa Turnpike a woman cut off a Truck, the Driver of the Truck followed her for miles, caught up with her cut her off in retaliation for the earlier mishap, ran her off the Road into a Tree killing her.
These are some of the things that we have to deal with on a daily basis, even more reasons to become a good Motorist. The media is filled with Road rage incidents, like the man said”stay calm and Drive” words to live by. I have seen the ugliness of Road Rage, if there is a mishap, stay calm and Drive. If it’s starting to get ugly call 911, don’t be a tough Guy. High Noon, NYC Greenwich Village, minor fender Bender, maybe a five hundred Dollars in damages, the Driver of the Porsche exits his Car Gun drawn shot and killed his fellow Motorist, in front of Scores of shocked Witnesses. Stay calm and Drive there are a lot of Idiots out there. Then I developed the love for driving, forty seven years later millions of miles behind me I can reflect and create a discussion on Driving
Safely. If I could figure what makes people who gets behind the wheel and a light switch goes on and Rationality is out the door, I would be famous. When I got my Drivers license, that was the greatest day of my life. I now had a ticket to Ride , wherever I wanted to go and be. The privilege of driving is more important than collecting social security, If not for driving to work to get your social security quarters filled there would be no social security. Over the years I have taken many cross country trips, I have seen places that Google could not locate. These are the benefits of owning a Drivers license. The only time that I ever placed my licence in jeopardy was driving Taxi. When you drive taxi making time and money is the nature of the Beast, sometimes you overextend yourself and the vehicle. Sadly enough some people drive like that everyday. Since then I have done well to keep it safe, never once suspended. I have covered millions of miles driving and loved every minute of it, even when adversity struck. Near misses serves to teach me what to do next time.
I have gone above and beyond to avoid wrecks over the years. Some near misses is still clear in my head, like the time a five years old chased his ball right out into the street in front of me, where I stopped within one foot of the child. That’s what a good motorist do they avoid calamity, people are always doing the unexpected as Spock said illogical. It’s for you the Motorist to always be looking out for them and compensating for their bad Driving habits. They are everywhere and are oblivious to their shortcomings, they don’t think that their bad driving habits are noticed and abhorred. If you are in a habit of running red lights one day you will find some like minded person in a hurry to get to the Morgue. Nothing is ever that important for you to put your life and others in jeopardy, on the average you are at the next light waiting. The Commuter is the biggest joke, you would think someone driving the same route every day would become skilled as a Blind man navigating his house knowing all the pitfalls and avoiding them. No, they drive the same way they drove when they got their license twenty years ago like kids racing downhill leaving caution in the wind.
The commute should be one of the best part of your day. Wrapped in Leather and fine upholstery with a Jedi console. A place to collect your thoughts for the day ahead of you or the days recollection. Not the place to get all wound up tense and stressed. Yet for many the commute is the worst part of their daily routine for twenty five years and more. Why is this when the saying goes the more you do something, the better you get . It works with Sports, music and other art forms , so why not driving.Maybe it’s because no one takes it seriously until their brush with Fate. still with some, several brushes and bruises is not enough . For instance, Mark was a very skillful driver, but like most skilled drivers, overconfidence is the enemy. Once he confided to me that he had gone through three Windshields over a period of time. I believe that if I went through one, I would have become a better driver and not have gone through two more. But being a passenger with Mark driving at eighty Mph through Fog so thick that you could not see twenty feet from the hood of the car, I thought to myself he is lucky to be alive.
That’s what overconfidence do to the most mild mannered and sensible people, it makes them dangerous to themselves and others using the roadways. Then there are the show off drivers who always have a point to prove that they are as good or better than anyone else. Those are the worst, they will thread a needle eye at 90 mph to get in front of you just to show you that they are that good or just plain good and stupid. The show off driver is always going too fast and don’t realize that there are others on the roadways that aren’t as skilled and confident as he is. One day from driving the same way for thirty years, someone makes a mistake and they become the victim of years of carelessness finally catching up with them, shattering lives with broken bodies. I once knew a man who never had one accident but left many behind him. After forty years of driving I have put all the pieces together and consider myself learnerd. I commute one hour each way daily on a strip of road that sometimes claims lives daily, weekly and monthly. Yet I have no anxieties, focus and anticipation puts me in a Jedi frame of mind. Not only do I focus way out front, but by watching the traffic pattern and how they are driving tells me what to expect when I catches up with them. Basically don’t drive like a mindless Drone, but be adept and conscious that whatever that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Sometimes it becomes tedious but I am always on the lookout for all the above mentioned drivers, especially the ones who always have the Cell phone in hand. For me driving is more important than the Job I commute to five days a week, my safety and others safety depends on how I drive. Every day I commute my least favorite Road in my travels, US-19. It’s a road that instigates speeding, the lights are approximately one mile apart, the speed limit varies to 55 mph. Not good when you have six or more U turn lanes all within one light. The Roadway is always congested and everyone is always travelling above the speed limit. Smash Ups are daily, injury and fatalities are frequent. A lot of which could be avoided if people traveled in a conscientious state of mind, knowing that each side of the street is lined with Stores. People are always doing stupid things like misjudging the distance of approaching traffic while making U- turns and crossing lanes to get to their destination. putting themselves and others at risk. Just getting to the other side of the road is nothing short of playing a game of chicken. I am a driving enthusiast who appreciate the Automobile and my life, so riding this Road five days a week back and forth is my primary Job. Navigating this treacherous road one hour each way every day become nothing short of a game of skills, and discipline.
By having the use of the internet I surf world wide to see how other Countries fare with their poorly designed roadways and bad drivers who think they are race car drivers, it’s the same everywhere. Why is this? It appears that some people who can’t cut an Onion without cutting off a finger. gets behind the wheel where they develop a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Mild mannered courteous and intellectual, they get behind the wheel and all that change to a rude and abrasive Crud. Young people driving for less than one year, old people driving for fifty years, gets behind the wheel and the reckless speed demon comes out. I have got to tell you Road Maniacs that I have the driving skills to loose the Cops in a chase at speeds exceeding 140 mph yet I am one of the most civilized drivers on the road. Whether I am going five miles or fifteen hundred miles my goal is to get from point A- to point B without a scratch. While the majority of drivers I encounters daily travel on a wing and a prayer.Driving is something you should excell at from the previous days experiences.
Whims and flight of fancies behind the wheel is for fools with total disregard for their lives and yours. One day travelling my least favorite Road, my car driven less than nine thousand miles, it was early afternoon so the road wasn’t congested. On a stretch posted 45 Mph I was doing 55, I looked in my rear view mirror the traffic that was following was more than one mile behind. I decided to change lanes to the middle lane, it appears that this young flighty girl driving a twenty years old Heap must have traveled at eighty Mph to have caught up with me in the short time I looked away from the rear view, now we were both sharing the same Lane. If my car was not equipped with blind spot sensors we both would be dead.
This is the mindless operation of a Car I am always beating the Drum about. They are out there everywhere. So it is for you the contentious driver to always be on the lookout for the people with missing screws. Ten minutes after writing this Paragraph, on a trip to the Bank three miles away, on a strip of road posted 35 Mph I see a Tow Truck pulling a newer car out of the Ditch with extensive front end damage. Two minutes later a Car driven by mister Flighty became glued to my bumper with his twenty five years old Heap as if I was Towing him.
I put on my emergency flashing lights, he backed off slightly and continued driving in his usual mindless approach. Now at twenty nine thousand miles I am still sweating Bullets when it leaves the Driveway.When I got my license I had one goal in mind and that was to be the best possible driver that I could be, remembering what my instructor told me “drive like you are the only one who knows what they are doing”. That thought inspired me to learn the ins and out of navigating these dangerous Roadways we use everyday. Like a style of driving that I practice everyday, it’s called the Greyhound. Taken in consideration the Greyhound never catches the Rabbit that should be inspiration for the way we drive daily moving out from the light purposefully as if you are going somewhere, not like you are out for a Sunday afternoon spin. That creates congestion. We drive in a congested pattern because we want to obey Highway safety. The speed limit is forty five, that doesn’t tell you that we all must gradually achieve that speed limit of forty five. Once the speed limit is reached the lead is now the congestion, I avoid that by exceeding the speed limit by ten miles, take the lead until the Rabbit comes along, then I following the Rabbit breaking the speed limit from a safe distance. Whenever traveling at a high rate of speed you should always have a comfort zone where you are satisfied with your speed and your distance. Can you imagine Rush hour traffic all spread out chasing the Rabbit. I drive with a Limousine Drivers attitude, don’t create not anxiety in your passenger, your fellow drivers or yourself.
There is never a good enough reason for you to drive like a Taxi Driver or a Pizza delivery Driver, driving too fast cutting people off not signalling and making right on red without coming to a full stop. I am often perplexed when I see people who are usually level headed, gets behind the wheel and mister Hyde takes over and all you see is a Bubble Head Teenager, at any age. Nothing like watching a sixty years old person driving like he just got his license and he is still racing downhill. The more time you spend driving the better Driver you should aspire to become. The numerous Roadside Graves that I have seen, monuments with flowers to remember a lost one at the spot where they lost their lives, that is enough inspiration for me to drive like I am the only one out there that knows what he is doing. That should also serve you well knowing that Highway safety statistics are created by our driving habits. No one goes out looking to have accidents, it’s the way we drive that creates them, barreling through traffic, tailgating and crossing three lanes of traffic to get to your exit Ramp.
Take a good look at yourself you are barely able to change lanes and focus on your mirror, yet you are Texting and fidgeting with your Android. I guess it hasn’t registered to some people that the moment you turned the ignition, it’s lights, action Camera you are on. It’s your moment to be a shining example to other Drivers of how serious you take your driving and how good you are at it. You are only fooling yourself thinking that you are that good you can Text and Drive, it’s only a matter of time before you realize that taking your eyes off the Road for two seconds can be of monumental consequences. The Roadways are overcrowded as it is and crawling with bad Drivers who do stupid things for no reason, you don’t need Any more distractions. Two seconds at 45 mph is not enough time. The commute is one of my favorite part of the day, my car comes equipped with a Bose system, I use my one hour drive to catch up on my thoughts and to lose myself in the music. Most people dread the commute because they have been driving the same way all their lives, with no game plan and no plan B so if there’s an accident they are late. They haven’t learned that it’s better to get to work half an hour early than five minutes late.
Me I leave my house giving myself enough time that if the Road is shut down I still get to work on time. I once knew a man who never made it to work on time in one year, can you imagine how he drove everyday, he did seventy in a thirty five Mph zone. When you drive like a maniac you don’t give people a chance if they make a mistake. The bad thing about speeding is that you don’t know the damage that those extra twenty Mph can do until your car is embedded in someone front seat and they are in it. If your hunger for speed is so overwhelming that it becomes second nature you need to see an accident scene where three teens fourteen, fifteen and sixteen lost their lives driving in excess of one hundred Mph. It appears to me that attitude is the biggest setback in creating good Motorists. One of the things that my Driving instructor hammered was, when you get behind the wheel, lose the attitude, the childlike mentality and behavior. Whatever that irks you in life should not affect your mental attitude behind the wheel this is not the place to act out. All that does is it instigates fellow drivers to act accordingly, now you have Road Rage.
It don’t matter what eats at you, not personal matters like your home life your job or your relationships. When you get behind the wheel your number one job is to focus on the task of driving, being focused and adept saves lives. The Driver who mowed down a Mother crossing the street with her three year old and one year old left no skid marks, the one year old died. How does one live with themselves after killing a one year old child because you weren’t paying attention. You hear about these awful occurrences on the Roadways but it doesn’t hit home until you are involved. I chose this subject because you hear conversation about everything under the sun except driving, why is that, is it that most drivers are mediocre and they have nothing to share in the area of expertise. They will tell you about their near misses and the bad wrecks that aren’t their fault, but they have nothing to tell of their evasive maneuvers like taking the vehicle off the Road to avoid running into an accident scene littered with vehicles all over the Road. It’s those split second decisions that saves lives, and are worth talking about.
The Drivers Manual does little in creating good Motorists, it teaches the fundamentals in operating a vehicle, it does not tell you about Murphy’s law and the Roadways. Such as Drivers who don’t believe that Road Rules apply to them, I can’t tell you about the numerous times I have witness people rolling through a yield sign taking the right of way from someone. I will forever be harping on Road Rage because we are the ones who facilitate it with our bad driving habits. The Drivers Manual tell you to signal at least fifteen feet before you make a turn, why should I have to read your mind. They say that when you assume, it makes an Ass out of you and me, bad grammar but that’s how the saying goes. Nevertheless I am always assuming fellow Drivers moves to compensate for their bad Driving habits. That’s not how it is supposed to be, I should not have to drive for you. As the saying goes no one is perfect, but some people go out of their way to be perfect Asses because they don’t grasp the severity and the trust bestowed in having a Driver’s License, that’s why you the Motorist must always be vigilant.
When I moved to Florida I was amazed at the number of people who rode Bicycles and Mopeds, at first I thought this is good for the environment, then I found out that half these people have no choice if they wanted to get around, because when they were behind the wheel they were abusive of their driving privileges and so losing their license was the consequence of their bad Driving. I have no sympathy for them, because that is one less bad driver on the Road. Joe was a smart Man well educated, but behind the wheel he was an Idiot he taught he was a Racecar Driver,always in a hurry to go nowhere, he drove nothing but the best Cars manufactured. If I am not mistaken he never had a Car to trade in when it came time to get a new Car, because he never had the need for a new Car, the Insurance company always kept him in style replacing one after another. In Florida we have no fault insurance coverage, so most Drivers drive accordingly, on a wing and a prayer, down hill style. After numerous Wrecks the State finally caught on to Joe and decided that the Roadways would be much safer without Joe after six or seven bad crashes that were all charged to his recklessness, they took away his driver’s License. I don’t know about you but If I lost my Drivers License you might as well Bury me.
My driving privilege is more important than anything, having a Driver’s License means Freedom to Travel.I don’t know if you have caught on that I am an enthusiast when it comes to Driving. To take away my Driving privilege would be equivalent to losing my ability to walk. I drive one hour to work if I had to take a Bus I would not work. If I didn’t work I would not be able to drive a Car that tells me to say a command when I press a Button. I guess now you know that I appreciate a fine Automobile.That is just one more reason for me to be Leary of bad drivers driving vehicles that I used to go to the Junkyard and take parts off when all I could afford to drive was Heaps, I learned how rebuild and maintain them, even though they were Heaps I had respect for them because they were my transportation. It was back then I learned about vehicle safety, if you drive a vehicle older than ten years that is not properly maintained, it’s a hazard and so are you for driving it like you are driving a Maserati. My Car had nine thousand miles on the Odometer I am cruising at fifty five in a forty five Mph zone, if I exceed the speed limit it’s only for a short while to distance myself from the cluster, I looked back to see the vehicles following two miles away. I decided to change lanes, in a flash I was sharing lanes with a twenty year old heap, they had to do eighty Mph to have covered that distance in the time That I looked away from the mirror, if my car was not equipped with sensors we both would be dead.
These are the people I have been squawking about they come out of the Clouds with their idiotic Road behavior thinking that they are cute. Lesson learned, when changing lanes you have to look, then look again while you are in the process of changing lanes do not look away from that mirror. People think that they are cute burying the gas pedal for one mile to close a gap or to catch up to the lead car that is one dangerous way of operating a vehicle it is known as barreling, it has been known to cause fatalities when other Drivers aren’t expecting your presence in such short time. Most Drivers check their mirrors frequently, another thing my Driving Instructor told me always known where you are and who is around all the time, more words to live by. I often remark to my Wife that if I were on a Desert Highway cool wind blowing in my Hair, someone out of nowhere at two am could find a way to cause an accident, two vehicles on the Road. That is not funny it’s the truth, scenario, guy smoking a poorly rolled Joint with seeds in, a Seed pops the fire lands in his lap, how do you think that he is going to react? Or a Drunk who decides to pass out the minute you are passing. I had decided not to interject Religion but testing the hand of Fate is Religious.
Well my Friend testing the hand of fate is what people do every day when they presume distance against speed and lost. The Catastrophe is enormous two tons of Automobile being projected times 70Mph causes an enormous amount of impact. That’s how lives are lost. I am not trying to scare anyone but to scare you straight. Hello game is over Fun and games are for silly Rabbits. More on testing Fate, Once driving through Mountain Top Pa I approached an eight miles descent and the Roadway covered with inch and a half to two inches of Snow with no Brakes I had a choice of pulling over ten feet into the decent, or Forge on with the skills of a veteran event of downhill racing. I forged on. That’s testing the hand of fate. Luckily enough for me the vehicle had Manual Transmission and emergency hand Brakes. I’m telling you it is better to live. That is definitely not what a good motorist would do, a good Motorist eliminates risk, but I was young and still learning. I can understand and relate with young people doing stupid things behind the wheel, but I have no tolerance for so called mature people showing off or pulling dumb stunts behind the wheel.
That Macho attitude is just a foolish little kid in a man’s body, Harry was an adventurous guy a regular Outdoors Man he hunt Fish and wrestled Bears somewhat invincible in the woods. Only thing wrong with that was whenever he got behind the wheel that attitude prevailed. One day we were heading home Harry was driving, never in my life have I ever witnessed a worse case of Machismo Brass Balls madness. The Fog was Dense you could not see fifteen feet from, the Hood yet this crazy Man was doing eighty Mph putting both our lives and fellow motorist at risk. I demanded that he pulled over and let me out, it wasn’t until then that he realized that he was driving like a Jackass. I had no idea who he was trying to impress. That was the last time I rode with that Nut, while discussing my nightmare ride with a coworker they confided in me that Harry had survived going through three Windshields can you imagine how stupid people can be,I believe that if I went through three Windshields and live I would quit driving. It’s one thing having a death wish, it’s another when you take others with you. Life is so short and unpredictable, one day you are perfectly healthy the next day you are not, the next day you are dead. Why would you not want to live life to its fullest instead of getting behind the wheel and act stupid, as if anyone is impressed with your heroics.
I guess it’s true that some of us never grow up, they say that if you stay young at Heart you never grow old, but if you stay young and foolish especially behind the wheel, you won’t live long enough to grow old. A lot of this asinine driving can be contributed to respect, first and foremost life, you don’t have any respect for your life then respect my gratitude for life. Respect of the Road, sometimes poor design mixed with adverse conditions can make it treacherous, when it rains some people speeds up bad Tires and all, when it snows it doesn’t affect their dim Witt approach to Driving, when they find Black Ice they don’t know how to act, when the car fishtail to the left they don’t know that gently turning to the left straightens the vehicle. A lot of Speed Demons doesn’t have a clue about evasive maneuvers, when they find themselves in a bad situation that they put themselves, they panic. Respect for their driving privilege the gift of having a Driver’s License, when they lose it along with the ability to get to work shopping and the Beach, then and only do they realize that they have been idiots whipping through City Streets breaking the speed limits with total disregard for anyone’s safety. How about a little respect for my Vehicle, for many years before I could afford a thirty five thousand dollars Vehicle I drove Heaps.
Now that I drive a vehicle with a built-in computer, sensors and Camera I would like to keep its components intact, while you have other plans for my fine Automobile. It’s absolutely perplexing living in a State with no fault insurance and no Vehicle Inspiration, every time I come to a stop there is always some Idiot sitting on my Bumper, Who have never taken his Car to a Shop since the day he bought it used, because there is no State Vehicle Inspection. Just because the state don’t require yearly inspection, that doesn’t mean that you should run it into the ground. Brake Pads wear, Clips fall out and Calipers fail. All the reasons for you to take the initiative and take your car to the Shop at least once in awhile. Riding people’s Bumper under any circumstances is unsafe, if the vehicle in front of you is equipped with a manual Transmission, it could roll backwards at a stop sign.Rear End accidents are like Right of way, the Law is unyielding, whether or not the Driver in front of you caused the accident. Riding Bumpers is just plain idiotic, you are not impressing anyone. When I moved to Florida and transferred my Drivers License, in the upper right corner of the new License a star was added. The star indicates that I was a safe Driver, that is the payoff for my efforts. Sad to say that people are complacent with their Driving and don’t aspire to have that star.
All young Drivers should strive for a star which is an indication of being a good Motorist. Whenever I get behind the Wheel the Trip is of utmost attention, getting from point A to point B unscathed in any way shape or form, being totally focused and adept to the Task. Being focused and adept saves Lives. Once traveling the Connecticut Turnpike I noticed a Flatbed Truck transporting Caterpillar Tire, eight feet in diameter weighing over one Tun. The Tire was totally unsecured, no Tie Downs, the tire was bouncing and shifting position. Being a good motorist I evaluated the situation and saw Hazard about to unfold. I immediately put on my Flashing signal, I backed off the pace blowing my Horn frantically, no one paid attention to my efforts including the Driver of the Truck, I told you that they can be some of the most unsafe operators on the Roadway. A Compact Car pulled alongside me looked at me with a bewildered stare, then accelerated blowing me off, as it came parallel with the Truck the Tire fell off the Truck and flattened the Car. Some accidents are so bad that you know that there is nothing you can do to assist I drove on and said a Prayer. When you are out there you need to pay attention to other Drivers trying to alert you of pending dangers on the Road. Driving with a mindless approach is not becoming of a good Motorist.
Patience is a virtue, no place more true than the Roadways. I once knew an Insurance Agent who lost his Franchise because he had no patience for the Computer while the programs load. Could you imagine the havoc he created in Rush Hour Traffic you see them everyday zigging and zagging to nowhere in a hurry. I commute one hour each way daily on one of the most dangerous Roadways, the Road is poorly designed with U Turn Lanes just about every one hundred yards, with shopping Malls on both sides. I leave the House early everyday just so that I don’t have to use my Taxi Drivers skills, rough riding a bunch of inept people who’ve been doing this commute for the better part of their Lives with no improvement to their driving Skills. What I have learned driving with these people everyday is that Lack of patience is one of the deadly Sins of driving, nothing good comes of it. To say the least you lose a lot of paint and time filling out accident Reports. Sometimes Lives are lost as a result of impatience. One morning about five thirty Am I came upon an accident scene, there was a Motorcycle laid down in the middle Lane and fifteen feet ahead of it a figure covered with a Tarp.
God rest his Soul but I must tell you that Motorcycles are the most impatient people on the Roadways, they give overkill a new meaning along with their Daredevil approach riding in between lanes on the white lines, and blowing people’s Door off with deadly speeds. One of my Cousins now departed rode Motorcycles all his life, I have seen him wearing a full body Cast from bad Crashes. Some people just can’t help themselves when it comes to testing the hand of fate. I chose not to do that by leaving early wherever I have to go, so that I don’t have to drive like a Taxi Driver. Attitudes are right up there with impatience, remembering something my instructor told me, “ when you get behind the wheel, lose the attitude” there are so many negative attitudes out there makes me wonder why there aren’t more cases of Road Rage. The idea of thinking that you are getting over on people when you steal the right of way from someone who is timid or just plain cautious is nothing short of idiotic. Coming to an Intersection that allows a right on red turn without stopping and looking to your left is a Suicidal attitude. Cutting people off in tight quarters is having an attitude that it doesn’t stink, doing it to the wrong person you could live to regret it, as in Road Rage. How about the attitude that you are cunning or cute when you do dumb things, especially when you are multitasking, it’s not only the Android many times you set up accidents you didn’t even know occurred in the wake behind you. Once I’m standing at the light, a car pulled up, brand new Car needing two new Doors,
The driver was Texting as he waited for the light to change, so he can continue so he could destroy the other two Doors. The only time that I think driving is fun is when I am on open Road going Cross Country, other times I look at driving as a serious task of transportation, getting from point a to point b. Far too many people See’s it differently as one big game, which is sending a destructive message to new Drivers and Kids who are sitting in the back seat watching you making a mockery of the Rules of Road. Fundamentals like signalling, spacing, speed limits and running the light when it’s yellow and you are fifty feet from the intersection. Many Drivers out there never had a professional Driving Instructor as I did, I taught my Wife to drive from the first time she sat behind the Wheel to the day before her Road Test. Any bad habits I possessed was now hers. Now do you see the importance of driving in a civilized manner when your Kids are on board, they mimick us all their lives, so why would they not mimick our driving. Driving down Missouri Ave the other day I noticed a Van travelling at a fast rate of speed while weaving the Traffic, I looked closer to see that none of the four Kids were wearing Seat Belts. Not only was she Driving like an idiot, but the Kids were having a jolly good time moving around the Vehicle, kids find this behavior so fascinating that in my Hometown fourteen years old are out four Am killing themselves racing City Streets at speed over a hundred MPH. Remember all a fourteen year old is thinking that he wanna be just like you Dad.
You hear about Soccer Mom say hello to Chauffeur Mom, She is always late , coming and going. There isn’t enough Roadway for Her at four Pm. Being late don’t work behind the wheel, you overextended yourself. On the Cross Scranton Xpway, Yield sign against me, Tractor-laying it Down on Flatland. I decided that my Compact could beat it to the Lane change. If my Brakes had failed, at seventy five he would have Crunched me into the Concrete Median. Who is fooling who or are we all idiots.That one second isn’t worth the catastrophe, When you’re in a hurry you put yourself on a limb, I could have skidded into the Truck. The only time that I think driving is fun is when I am on open Road going Cross Country, other times I look at driving as a serious task of transportation, getting from point a to point b. Far too many people See’s it differently as one big game, which is sending a destructive message to new Drivers and Kids who are sitting in the back seat watching you making a mockery of the Rules of Road. Fundamentals like signalling, spacing, speed limits and running the light when it’s yellow and you are fifty feet from the intersection. Many Drivers out there never had a professional Driving Instructor as I did, I taught my Wife to drive from the first time she sat behind the Wheel to the day before her Road Test. Any bad habits I possessed was now hers. Now do you see the importance of driving in a civilized manner when your Kids are on board, they mimick us all their lives, so why would they not mimick our driving. Driving down Missouri Ave the other day I noticed a Van travelling at a fast rate of speed while weaving the Traffic,
I looked closer to see that none of the four Kids were wearing Seat Belts. Not only was she Driving like an idiot, but the Kids were having a jolly good time moving around the Vehicle, kids find this behavior so fascinating that in my Hometown fourteen years old are out four Am killing themselves racing City Streets at speed over a hundred MPH. These are impressionable Kids that we have transferred our Speed fantasy to and a Legacy of bad Driving to. Then there is the commercial with the guy traveling this picturesque Road carved out of this mountain, came to a Blind Crest only to find a Bus stopped for a Deer. Without ABS + Computer assisted Breaking System, his gregarious approach towards a Brand new High tech Car, worse yet his family is in the car, that could have been an unpleasant end to a Trip. While commuting the Pennsylvania Turnpike around mid Afternoon the Traffic Flow came to a Halt. While inching up closer to the accident scene I noticed Helicopter landed on the Highway, Life Flight Air Lifted all riding in two Cars. As I approached the immediate Area I observed what appears to be a U Turn around a Blind Bend on a Highway that a Hundred Mph is not uncommon. As I passed the white SUV that was hit with such force it stoppedx dead in its Tracks as it entered the middle Lane where 75Mph is Norm. The Rear Quater Pannell took the Brunt of the impact, the Door was open I observed a white Teddy Bear in the immediate Seat, next to the damaged quarter pannell.
As I have said before Rationality takes priority especially when you are Transporting precious Cargo. It’s bad enough having whims and making wreskless moves when you are driving yourself, but when you have Passengers, an extra level of mindfulness and care should be exercised. The Driver of the SUV made a horrible decision to make an illegal U Turn around a Blind Bend on a dangerous Highway, and a lot of innocent people suffered the consequences for his lack of mind driving. This type of Driving seems to be a Worldwide Epidemic, seemingly rational people gets behind the wheel and are transformed into Jackasses, pushing the Vehicle to its limit weaving Traffic, Tailgating not signalling and doing everything the Drivers Manual says not to do. Worst of all some do all the above inebriated, sometimes you get away with it for a long while and you become comfortable thinking Dam Am good. What you don’t know is that bad Driving habits eventually catches up to you, if safety is second nature when you find yourself in a bad predicament, you save lives and wonder how you did it. If you operate a Vehicle the way it is to be Operated the Components could last twenty years, look at antiques I once Dribbled over a 1916 Car that looked like it just rolled off the Assembly Line, it was over ninety years old, it’s Body was too big for a Car, so I presumed it was first SUV. I can’t help it I love Cars, my first Car was a Buick WildCat, Old but not Beat. Today I Drive a Buick Verano, a Tech Car that talks to me when I press a Button, it tells me to say a Command, you’ve come a long way Baby.
My Car is three years old and looks better than Showroom. My wife says that I am too aggressive, because I do not ride in Packs, I am usually up front or behind never in the middle of a bad Traffic pattern, that’s how I protect my Paint. If necessary I pull off the Road and let them wear themselves out and pass them back a hundred miles down the Road. Did I Mention that I Love to Ride, sometimes I feel like a Jedi knowing your next move. Why because you are Human Logic is a luxury, because you’re busy Texting. My Job is to get it from point a to B without a Scratch. Not only do I protect my Car but myself and you, another thing to consider is that the Cars of Yesterday were built with Steel, not Plastic Styrofoam and inferior Steel, in bad Crashes they Crumble around you, something for you to consider when you are Driving at high speeds mindlessly. Street Racers been around since Moonshine Wars, I Honestly don’t Think that it will ever stop. As I have said before there is a Natural Bond, goes back to the invention of the wheel, if there were no need for speed the Wheel never would have rolled . Even before Birth there is Motion, we weren’t made to stand still, that’s my explanation of why the most mild mannered people gets behind the wheel and loose it. Now they think they have experience from doing warm-up Laps at Poccono 500, where Speeds past 185MPH. On a five Miles Straight on a Public Roadway, Jerks Do 80,90,100, twelve Noon. When I saw a 2017 Vet Burnt Charred Black all I could do was Gaze and say a Prayer. There are still Fatalities at Lower speeds. As Kids we Raced with Bad Bakes, as Adults we Race against Fate(the wind) As the saying goes “to Die for” making time and staying ahead of the Pack is totally different from Racing in the middle of the day, Racing anytime of the Day is stupid. I Commute two hours Daily, I am steady Clocking ten MPH over the speed limit, enough to get a warning. Usually I am the Rabbit but there is always some Idiot going five Miles who picked up my trail and want to Race.
My Speedometer says 170, but I will never know if the Engine can take the Strain. Even at eighteen I wouldn’t want to know what it feels like to go past 100, I have seen Crashes with the Vehicles split in half and everyone going Airborne. The bad part of this Childlike Practice is the Catastrophic outcomes, many times involving innocent people. The way I see it is if you want to Kill yourself fine and dandy, find a deserted Strip of Roadway and Race all Night till the Sun comes up. Near Kennedy Airport a Racing Club use to meet infrequently twelve O’clock at night and Race for the Audience, till one Night a Car got out of control and plowed into the crowd killing some of the Spectators. These Clubs are all over they even Wager on these Events. Many times when the Event ends they Race each other Home on Public Roadways, sometimes with Horrific outcomes. Speed is like any other Drugs or aphrodisiacs used properly and discriminately they have rewards. Abuse it and it will kill just the same. Dale Earnhardt was the Best, but at any speed shit happens, so how can you a mere novice go Racing through City Streets at high speeds not expecting any consequences.
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