I've been lurking on this list for awhile (my friend has a spridget) trying to
get tips. The safety topic caught my eye. I have a story to relate.
My son, who was in high school at the time, told me of an accident that
occurred in front of the school. A girl was driving while a passenger behind
her covered her eyes. The other passengers were then giving her driving
instructions verbally. Apparently, in the din, she couldn't hear too well and
rear-ended another car. No one hurt, but my son wondered how she would
explain being such a bone-head to her Dad.
My son paid for = of his car. He has helped in the priming, and sanded it
until his fingers bled. He has searched through junk yards for parts. He has
polished and rubbed and paid attention to every square inch of his car. He
was not allowed to drive until he was 17 because I was not yet seeing the
level of maturity that I wanted before turning him loose (if you can't
remember to water the flowers you can't remember to follow all of the driving
rules). I sent away to Austin, Texas to become a certified driving instructor
so that I could teach him at home. We spent countless Saturdays with me at
the chalkboard and him in the chair. I would wake him on stormy nights and
take him to dark, dangerous sections of roads to drive while he had his
learners permit. Driving rain and slippery conditions in the pitch dark. I
would take him into the heart of Dallas' rush hour and he would drive that as
well with me being passenger. I wanted to talk him through all of it before
he found it on his own. For fun he would practice shifting while I drank a
large Coke and see if he could do it without making the ice cubes hit the
glass. We went into turns tight and came out wide. I told him that if he got
any tickets in the first 1 year of driving that he would be back on the school
bus. An accident was one thing, but willfully breaking the traffic law(s) was
another. I also explained how badly it would stink being a 17-year-old senior
on the bus with all of those young kids. "Who is that old guy?", I asked him
with a screwed up face. He knew I was serious, I always am, and there are
never any hollow threats that come from me.
We discussed how anyone can "drive" a car. Pushing the accelerator and
steering is something any idiot can do. Actually becoming part of the
machine, feeling the road, listening to the engine, looking ahead,
anticipating what is required, etc. is what makes a "driver". Not everyone is
a driver; he wanted to be one. We talked of how any moron can go fast, but
not everyone can be smooth. I told him the women like smooth, and are scared
by fast morons (wink, wink). We talked of how the two most dangerous places
are freeway on-ramps and parking lots, and why. He does not follow too
closely because I explained that he would get rock chips in his hood. We
talked a lot. I told him that his car is distinctive, and can be seen from 5
miles away. Even when I am at work, everyone knows his car and will report to
me if there is every any infractions. It has come up a few times, when one of
my friends says, "Hey, I saw Rene' in McKinney yesterday". My first question
is, "How was he driving?". So far everyone has told me what a good driver he
is. He drives a 20-year-old Toyota Supra that is the envy of all of his
friends (who mostly drive expensive and new cars). I told him that rice
rockets are sports car posers, but his car was designed to be a sports car
from the designers board. I knew to explain things from his perspective. Is
his car safer than those of his friends and fellow students? Absolutely not.
But, I don't think he will be driving with his eyes covered either. Your kids
will only be as safe and sensible as you teach them to be. Talk in their
language. Love them. And if the worst should ever happen, God forbid, you
can rest in knowing that you did your best on their behalf.
Ed Fisher
Dallas, Texas
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