As a kid I never appreciated my mom for the hour-long round-trip drives she would make to take my sister and I to swim practice. These days, I’m not only wiser in the sacrifice it takes to raise a platinum level athlete, but I also understand the nuances in the differences between my mom’s driving and a Formula One racer.
Before I truly immersed myself in an environment where fully grown are playing mario carts with higher stakes, I had a completely different perspective on what makes a ‘good’ driver. I believed that an ideal driver would be able to navigate the roads at fast speeds while ensuring the safety of others. I thought that this driver would be able to take sharp turns at extraordinary speeds and make split second decisions. But after seeing the horrifying truth on the road, my bar is on the floor. I have seen adults confidently put their car in reverse, look into their backup camera, confidently step on the gas, and hit a shopping cart.
The real breakthrough for me was seeing how much uncertainty there is on the road. Most people don’t see everything and it seems like some people don’t see anything. I honestly believe that there are kids alive today because God was feeling generous with his luck that day.
I would objectively consider myself to be an above average quality of driver. I can drive stick shift which pretty much elevates me further by 3 tiers. I can follow the rules of the road (to a certain extent) and I can even perform a “heel-toe” downshift: the absolute pinnacle of stick shift driving.
However, as I’ve continued on my pursuit to reach the peak of the art of driving, I’ve found that the more time I spend on the road, the more I realize that the standard for driving is unacceptable. From actions as simple as not using turn signals when switching lanes to rear ending parked vehicles at the gym (this Indian will not be named), my perspective on the qualities of a decent driver has severely changed.
Knowing that every driver on the road took a course to learn how to drive and still fail at it simply makes me disappointed. It absolutely baffles me that the driver education system has failed this country to this extent. The craziest aspect of the whole scenario is that every one of them passed the test as well. This means that a representative of the government of the United States went to every one of these drivers, told them they were good to go, and watched them as they proceeded to drive away. I simply cannot emphasize how ridiculous the whole scenario is.
Now I want to make something absolutely clear, I am not a great driver. I’m not the next motorsport prodigy waiting to get my shot in the big leagues. I’m just a man who does what he’s supposed to: I stay in my lane, I get to where I need to, and I park without hitting other cars. I firmly believe that whenever we turn the keys into our car, we all have a choice. We can choose to act responsibly, putting others before our enjoyment or we can do the opposite and put our enjoyment over others. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy driving. Not just so I can transport myself from point A to point B, but because I enjoy the journey itself. There are moments where I enjoy the feeling of the wind battering against my face, as I look at the rolling hills of corn ahead (there’s not much else in Illinois) on a cool fall day. But unfortunately, some people believe that it’s best to disturb my singular moment of peace by totaling themselves on the side of the road.
Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUoIgQI2wPA
At the end of the day we can trace the problem back to our ancestors that took money away from public transport and forced the government to build more highways. We’ve always been bad at driving, but we can blame the dead for putting people in the driver’s seat in the first place.
Hey Varun!
This was a pretty cool piece. I have an interesting relationship with driving as well, since there’s a part of me that hates it, but also a part of me that finds the ‘road’ a bit calming and relaxing. I think we both agree however that the other drivers on the road are the reason the enjoyment of driving becomes less apparent. I also sometimes question how some people obtained their licenses, however we can probably both agree that our country isn’t the worst in this aspect, since we know Indian culture very well. My favorite thing about this piece was the comedic element. The picture of Vin Diesel just speaks for itself, and also the little jokes in parenthesis were funny as well. Overall, I had fun reading this piece and I appreciate the comedic element you incorporated into this writing. Nice job!
Varun,
I think you definitely talk too highly of your driving. As someone who has been in your car before while you drive, I remember it as a lot of fear and anxiety even though you ‘went slower’ for us. I also cannot believe YOUR recklessness from last year. For context (for people who aren’t Varun), Varun would leave his car keys in his car and would leave his car unlocked because ‘he didn’t think people would try and steal his car’. Your stick shift driving is pretty impressive because I have no idea how it works though. My least favorite drivers are the people who park by the NPAC tennis courts after school, so they don’t have to rush to their car and essentially force their way into the front of the long line of cars waiting in line. It’s so annoying, because they don’t really give you a choice: it’s either pump the brakes and let them cut the line, or get into a car crash. They’re the worst. My sister used to be the terrible driver on the streets that you mentioned. Getting into the car with her was terrifying. My mom used to make me sit in the back seat while she drove ‘just in case she got into a crash’. Horrible.
Hello Louisa, I’m glad you took the time to read my blog. You are angry that we park in the Tennis Courts because you wished you parked there too.