Seems there has been a lot of talk lately about drivers and how bad their driving has become. Matter of fact, there have been several letters to the editor in the local papers around here bemoaning the dangers of the road due to the poor driving habits of many drivers. Want to sound off about inconsiderate drivers? Here's the place and here's your chance. It just so happens that bad drivers are on my top 5 list of pet peeves!
For those of you who are not aware, I was a high school driving instructor for five years. I worked for a local driving school in Van Wert, Ohio with students in both Van Wert and Paulding Counties in Ohio. Oh, the stories I could tell. Let me just say that is is difficult to teach students the right and proper things to do while driving when the majority of the drivers you meet on the road are doing other things.
My wife tells me that I am a different person when I am driving...that I have a tendency to snarl and frown and mutter unflattering remarks under my breath. I must admit, I do have difficulty understanding why people do the things they do once they get behind the wheel of a car. I have come to the firm conclusion that turn signals must be optional equipment in most cars, and that speed limits are just recommendations.
Like most endeavors, I do have one very memorable event that happened to me while in my driver's ed car with a student. One of the lessons I taught was interstate driving...how to enter and exit interstates, driving at higher speeds, passing other vehicles, cruise control options and so on. My student was a young lady from Van Wert and we were about to enter US 30, a four-lane highway much like an interstate highway. There we were entering the on-ramp, and I'm trying to explain to her the proper procedures for doing so. "Speed up some so you don't enter the four-lane too slowly, turn your left signal on so others will know where you want to go, turn your head back to the left and look behind you (because there is a blind spot behind your left shoulder and you want to make sure the path behind you is clear).
Well, to her credit, the young lady did exactly as she was told. She hit her left signal, she increased her speed, she looked over her left should to make sure her path was clear, and she slowly turned onto the interstate. However, she kept looking back behind her as the car slowly drifted across the right lane, then the left lane, and was heading for the grass that seperated the four lanes. She was oblivious as to the direction of the car, so I slowly reached over and gently grabbed the steering wheel and pulled the car back to the right.
Needless to say, that little episode got me to thinking...what if I hadn't been there...who watches over us...what is the direction of our lives. Just after World War II ended, a US pilot wrote a book about his flying experiences during the war entitled "God is My Co-Pilot". His emphasis was on the fact that God was with him in his plane during every mission against the enemy. It was a divine presence that kept him safe from harm. I recently spied a bumper sticker that stated, "If God is Your Co-Pilot, Switch Seats!"
Bottom line is this...the bumper sticker was spot on...in this life, we face many challenges, including idiot drivers. If we don't allow God to lead, guide and direct us, we too may be heading for the grass between the pavement. He gently nudges us in the right direction, always keeping us in his loving care.
Let me just leave you with these thoughts...please be careful out there. Your driving habits may be sending the wrong signals to those who are trying to do the right thing on the road. But more importantly, trust God to keep you on the right path in life. :-)
I have been asking myself this one question since May 8th. What is the message? I did everything I was supposed to do, so I don't understand.
ReplyDeleteMay 8th Was a beautiful day, clear and almost summer like. I had an errand to run and decided to take the bike to save a little gas. I was wearing my boots, jeans, helmet, and a long sleeve red sweat shirt. I was doing the speed limit, coming up to a 'T' intersection, where I had the right of way. There was nothing obstructing the view of the driver at the stop sign, yet he looked at the sky, not the road.
He came to a complete stop, then started to roll into the intersection. I eased off the accelerator thinking he was just inching out and would stop again. He didn't. I pulled in the clutch, engaged both front and rear breaks, locked up my rear wheel, skidded about 20 or 30 feet keeping my bike upright and in a straight line until I hit his truck between the cab and the rear wheel. If I would have swerved in either direction, I still would have hit the truck.
I lived with minor, yet life changing injuries. The other driver admitted fault to the responding sheriff's deputy, I did everything right. So, what was I supposed to learn?