Traffic School Graduate

I spent this past entire Saturday in traffic school.

It was my choice.  Yes, four tickets the first four months of this year shocked and jostled me to do this, not a court order.  Yes, I could try to easily rationalize each offense. I’ll spare you all that and the total costs, though my license quickly got [only] 8 points.  I even sought the advice of a police friend….who laughed at me and quipped, “I didn’t know that your retirement would lead you to a life of crime, Tom!”  Not funny, but sobering.  I knew it was time for me to reassess my driving skills, even after 50 years of near ticket-free “careful” driving.

I went dreading those unending, boring lectures, gory auto accident films, a cramped seat and a disinterested presenter.  Imagine being delightfully disappointed on all counts!  The videos were more about victims’ shake-us-up testimonies, including one “I don’t get it perp”, not gory accident pix.  We were given lots of potty breaks, thankfully.  I was by far the oldest one in my class of 30 folks and the only “volunteer” as the others, including a father and son combo, had all been court-ordered to show or face suspended driver’s licenses.  Not a happy crowd.

Takeaways?  One eye-opener was how to face a head-on collision, also finding that child car seats have an expiration date stamped on them and a shelf life of about six years, so my “grandpa chauffeur” status may get a car seat makeover.  I also realized afresh I get easily distracted while driving.  No, I don’t shave, anymore, but I do eat, drink, fiddle with my radio and a/c a bit too much while driving.  Or I did.

I also got reminded that driving is NOT competitive (except on race tracks) but more cooperative which means letting slow, distracted or raging drivers go by and creating a safe, undistracted atmosphere INSIDE my car for me and any passengers.

I hope I can drive at least another ten years.  I dread losing that….privilege (I almost wrote RIGHT.)  The cost?  Driving takes my full attention when I do it.  Like writing these words, I can’t have a phone ringing, loud music blaring or being doing other things while I do this.

I graduated, too.  Passed the final test, at least the one on paper.  I also drove home with a different, more cautious attitude.  So if you see me driving slower while I “scan” intersections,  know that I know a few things about driving I’d forgotten.  I’ll keep servicing my car, set the GPS and media before I get rolling, try to be a cooperative driver, and assume others are not fresh from traffic school even when I suspect they need to be.   And I’ll work more to enjoy the privilege of driving.

If driving is not your issue, what is?  Where are you fighting distractions, rage, bad equipment, or you are in a big hurry? 

I’ll risk saying that God blessed me as I volunteered to spend a day in school, learning afresh what I spend a lot of time doing.

For eight hours I got a good education, and no one was harmed in the making of my Saturday.

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