Actually, there is one more thing I’d like to say to you before the holidays are upon us. It came to me when I almost got rear-ended turning into my driveway coming home from work yesterday. And it’s an annual reminder:
Please remember that when you’re driving your car, your primary purpose is to operate the motor vehicle safely!
Somebody in a driver safety course I took last year said that his care was his sacred space, where distractions and worries aren’t allowed. That’s a good personal policy we should all have. We get so used to driving that we tend to let our attention drift, but the problem is that we can’t afford to do that, especially this time of year when more people are on the roads, and we’re distracted by too much.
Please folks, an accident will ruin your holidays faster than all of that other stuff that’s distracting you. Your car in motion isn’t the time or place to text, have an emotional conversation (on the phone or with a passenger), worry, fret, work out your “to-do” list, make your shopping list, ponder the menu, work out the schedule, stew over that work problem or argument you had, or to fume over that pain in the butt relative that you’d rather not deal with. Do everybody a favor, and act like you have your proverbial crap together while you’re driving. You can get it together, work it out, accept the inevitable, set boundaries, make the exciting or devastating announcement, curse fate, fall apart, scream, cry, throw down the hammer, tell them where it’s at, melt down, break down, and have a hissy fit once you safely park your car at your destination. But while in transit, you have only one responsibility: operate the motor vehicle.
With this said, I'll also add to set your GPS or get turn-by-turn driving directions if you're going somewhere you aren't familiar prior to pulling off and listen to the guidance system. I've been stopped for directions three times in the past week, and found every one of them circling the parking lot ten minutes later because they didn't listen to a word I said. They were too busy jumping ahead of me to pay attention to what was happening in the moment. So get directions, and follow them.
We all tend to overestimate our ability to do things that we do regularly. Do yourself a favor and humble yourself now. I don’t care how long you’ve been driving. All that advice that you admonish your teenagers with when you hand them the keys applies to you too. Don’t be a hypocrite. Live your own advice.
It’s not just for your good, but for everybody’s good. Because nothing ruins the holidays like a car wreck. That’s a memory you don’t want to take into Christmas present or future. So be the better person and do your part to prevent it. It could save your life.
That’s all today. I hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Bye!
Please remember that when you’re driving your car, your primary purpose is to operate the motor vehicle safely!
Somebody in a driver safety course I took last year said that his care was his sacred space, where distractions and worries aren’t allowed. That’s a good personal policy we should all have. We get so used to driving that we tend to let our attention drift, but the problem is that we can’t afford to do that, especially this time of year when more people are on the roads, and we’re distracted by too much.
Please folks, an accident will ruin your holidays faster than all of that other stuff that’s distracting you. Your car in motion isn’t the time or place to text, have an emotional conversation (on the phone or with a passenger), worry, fret, work out your “to-do” list, make your shopping list, ponder the menu, work out the schedule, stew over that work problem or argument you had, or to fume over that pain in the butt relative that you’d rather not deal with. Do everybody a favor, and act like you have your proverbial crap together while you’re driving. You can get it together, work it out, accept the inevitable, set boundaries, make the exciting or devastating announcement, curse fate, fall apart, scream, cry, throw down the hammer, tell them where it’s at, melt down, break down, and have a hissy fit once you safely park your car at your destination. But while in transit, you have only one responsibility: operate the motor vehicle.
With this said, I'll also add to set your GPS or get turn-by-turn driving directions if you're going somewhere you aren't familiar prior to pulling off and listen to the guidance system. I've been stopped for directions three times in the past week, and found every one of them circling the parking lot ten minutes later because they didn't listen to a word I said. They were too busy jumping ahead of me to pay attention to what was happening in the moment. So get directions, and follow them.
We all tend to overestimate our ability to do things that we do regularly. Do yourself a favor and humble yourself now. I don’t care how long you’ve been driving. All that advice that you admonish your teenagers with when you hand them the keys applies to you too. Don’t be a hypocrite. Live your own advice.
It’s not just for your good, but for everybody’s good. Because nothing ruins the holidays like a car wreck. That’s a memory you don’t want to take into Christmas present or future. So be the better person and do your part to prevent it. It could save your life.
That’s all today. I hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Bye!
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