Katherine Cobb
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Break Out the Dawn
    • Falling
    • Fifty, Four Ways
    • It Is What It Is
    • Little Wife Lies
    • Panhandle Portraits
    • The Projects >
      • The Marriage Project
      • The Self-Loathing Project
    • Weeza's Great Escape >
      • FREE coloring pages
  • STORE
  • Blog+
  • ARTICLES
    • Addiction series
    • World Champions of the Panhandle >
      • Travis Bagent
      • Vicky Bullett
      • James Jett
      • Randy Robinson
      • Fulton Walker
    • Rowzie Runs the Cannonball
    • Blaise Grove
  • News
  • Social
  • Free Stuff
  • Contact

Driving lessons

12/8/2013

0 Comments

 
There’s nothing like a new driver in the house to point out your every flaw behind the wheel. It began almost as quickly as my son got his permit.

“You’re not supposed to turn in this lane. You’re supposed to turn in that one.”

“Tsk tsk…you’re exceeding the speed limit.”

“You’re not six car lengths from the person in front of us.”

“Way to hit the pothole Mom.”

It’s amazing how all knowing a 15-year-old can believe his self to be. But unfortunately in this case, mine made some fairly accurate observations.

I found myself relearning many rules of the road through my son’s comments because the majority of us drivers are breaking them. And what happens when enough drivers break the same rule? You forget the correct way, and start doing it the wrong way.

You might be shaking your head no, as if you haven’t succumbed to this, but I’ve got the perfect example. If turning left at a four-way intersection with a light, the driver should turn into the closest lane, not the far lane. If there are two lanes, that means turning into the left lane.

I’ve been paying rapt attention to this for the past year since “permit boy” piped up about it and I haven’t seen anyone do it right yet.

Another common dilemma is right of way. I’ve seen a number of people stymied at a four way stop; some just wave me on instead of following the rule (please note waving me on is not the right protocol no matter how friendly you think it is.)

Even more folks are unclear about how cars making a right turn at intersections have the right of way over cars turning left from the opposite direction.

People are also often confused when they reach a roundabout, or circle. I’ve noticed this has become a popular road configuration in the past decade so there are more of them and more drivers who are bewildered.

After a year or so of permit driving, my son obtained his driver’s license, making him even more of an “expert,” but it’s made me wonder how many of us who’ve been driving for decades could pass the driver’s test today with our bad habits and sheep-following mentalities.

It’s also reminded me how annoying teenagers can be.

I personally have to check myself when I drive so I don’t get agitated. I learned impatience directly from my father, who drove like a madman, much the way he hurried through most tasks in life — as if all our lives depended on saving ten minutes.

I have to remind myself to slow down, stop tailgating and give rude drivers a pass, instead of maybe a hand gesture or cussing them out in the privacy of my vehicle.

Of course, I passed down my inherited bad habits — it was inevitable — to my teen driver. I remember he was the tender age of four when I heard him mutter from his booster seat in the back, “C’mon lady!” to a slow driver ahead just like he’d heard his mom say hundreds of times.

This does not mean I am a bad or unsafe driver, but I could certainly be smoother, happier and more vigilant about what my husband calls “being situationally aware.”

Luckily my son has his father as another role model, even though that’s dangerous territory. My husband is a professional driving instructor. Not in the sense you might picture, such as a driver’s education teacher, but more of a guy who teaches high-threat driving where you learn exciting evasive maneuvers and techniques, drive under pressure and feel like a real cowboy.

I’m sure my son aspires to drive as well as his father, and he has learned some valuable skills under his tutelage. Yet like many boys, I hear the yearning in his voice to “do a burnout” or “turn some donuts” like the guys I knew when I was a teen regularly performed. And, ahem, like his father still does when the opportunity knocks.

I’m sure we’ll all get through this latest life marker, hopefully without any accidents or problems. This is our last child to cross the threshold of licensed driver, and he is showing diligence, caution and awareness. Behind the wheel anyhow.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Summary
    A collection of columns, articles and general a-musings.

    Archives

    March 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013

© COPYRIGHT 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Break Out the Dawn
    • Falling
    • Fifty, Four Ways
    • It Is What It Is
    • Little Wife Lies
    • Panhandle Portraits
    • The Projects >
      • The Marriage Project
      • The Self-Loathing Project
    • Weeza's Great Escape >
      • FREE coloring pages
  • STORE
  • Blog+
  • ARTICLES
    • Addiction series
    • World Champions of the Panhandle >
      • Travis Bagent
      • Vicky Bullett
      • James Jett
      • Randy Robinson
      • Fulton Walker
    • Rowzie Runs the Cannonball
    • Blaise Grove
  • News
  • Social
  • Free Stuff
  • Contact