Are you or your spouse a backseat driver? The backseat driver is the one who makes you wonder how you got from Point A to Point B while driving alone. No one is there to monitor your speed, warn of approaching vehicles, or tell you which way to turn on a road you have traveled a hundred times.
I admit I used to be a backseat driver. When Chezzy came to the USA from Brazil he brought the Brazilian driving skills with him. I feared for my life and said so. I actually witnessed a car driving upon the sidewalk to miss a traffic light when I visited Brazil. Another common hazard was laying on the horn to let everyone know you were barreling through with no plans to tap the brakes. Chezzy didn't do those things, but he did speed and tailgate. He thought having two feet between him and the car in front of him was plenty of room to stop if he had to. I loved the man to pieces, but his driving made me prematurely gray.
Then along comes Robin. He's carefree, laid back, drives the speed limit and is never in a hurry. I stopped being a backseat driver and was able to enjoy the scenery. But somewhere along the way, Robin decided to be an aggressive driver and I find it hard to keep my mouth shut. But I usually do keep my mouth shut and refrain from being a backseat driver. The tiniest gasp from me would not be taken kindly anyway.
Oh, but things change when I am behind the wheel. Suddenly, I don't know where I am unless he points the way. I'm blind to oncoming traffic unless he tells me it's there. I'm going too slow or too fast, I'm not passing pokey-butt like I should, and I'm going to kill us all if I don't listen to him. OK, this is a little exaggerated, but you get my drift.
Recently I followed Robin to a car repair shop so he could drop off his car. I drove him home....not perfectly, mind you, but we got there. I was trying to turn left at a busy intersection that had no traffic lights.
"Go, go, go! This guy is waving you through," Robin announced.
"Well, I didn't see him. I was looking at traffic in the other direction," I explained.
"You have to pull out when you have the chance. You're beginning to drive like a grandma."
"I was looking both ways. It just so happened that you looked one way while I was looking the other way."
"You should have pulled out. I must have been behind your cousin on the way over. She would slow down, then speed up when I tried to pass her. She was the self-proclaimed Road Monitor. She was going to determine who got in which lane and how fast they were allowed to go. She owned the road and tried to interfere with how other drivers drove. I finally sped up and .... oh, look to your right," Robin said. "I used to live in those apartments."
"I wish you still did," I replied.
He laughed at that and his mood changed. At the time, I didn't mean to be funny.
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5 comments:
Oh Peggy, you probably opened a can of worms on this one. I had to laugh out loud. I tell Ronnie "FTC" (following too close!) all the time. It makes me nervous. I leave alot more room and drive defensively, yep I'm a Granny but if you ask Brian, I've got a lead foot so that's why I use the cruise control alot.
I do not hold back my gasp when I think my life is in danger. James has so much on his mind and talks on his cell phone. I do wonder how he makes it to his destinations without me. He thinks I drive way too fast, and he thinks I should only drive in the slow lane. It makes him nervous when I change lanes too much. I love driving alone. I wonder if Mother, Aunt Dorothy or Shelley are backseat drivers....I may rethink this trip we are planning:)
I do most of the driving, but Sid does ALL the narration. Turn here (yes I know), If I Were You...I would get in the next lane (I had planned to, with 10 cars standing in the lane and only 1 in the other.....DO YOU THINK?) You drive too fast....you drive too slow....were you trying to get me killed? (oh sure with me in the car too?, maybe with a ejection seat...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm)
I love your comment, Cheryl!
These days Ashton is my backseat driver.
I miss those car drives with you and Dad--no wonder I'm so highstrung!
Brian use to love to go on double dates with you and dad. he'd just sit back and laugh. You have to understand he grew up in a house where no one said a curse word so seeing you and dad going back and forth brought him so much joy. brian is a good driver, he just can't talk and drive at the same time. One time I just let him miss our exit and see how long it would take him to realize it. about 3 miles down the road he looked at the street signs and looked in his rear view and I saw the light bulb come on. funny how those things creep up on you.
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