People who drive cars are the same as normal people: myriad and many.No two people drive the same, just as two people aren’t the same. It is impossible for me to describe all of the possible differences between drivers. There are far too many variations. You can’t really classify drivers very accurately, because there are too many possible behaviors.
I have seen my share of crazy drivers. They are a commonality on the road. We live in a go, go, go society, and sometimes safety and rationality are sacrificed in favor of speed. Take my father for example. Oftentimes, he is so worried about getting to wear he’s going, that he gets angered at the slightest delay. As a result of his anger, he begins making impulsive decisions, whether they’re safe or not. As a matter of fact, on Saturday, as he was driving me from the SAT, he was running a little late, because we finished after the time we were supposed to. At one point, we were behind a tractor trailer. They do not have the speed capacity that normal cars do, so the trailer was driving under the speed limit. My dad got frustrated, and at the first opening, he passed on the left.
There’s nothing wrong with passing on the left, but how he did it was very dangerous. He went to the left, and gunned it all the way to 80 in a 55 mile per hour zone. It was two-directional traffic as well. But that’s not all he did in the one trip. As we were approaching our destination, we got stuck behind a garbage truck in a two-directional no-passing zone. It was pulled over, so my dad was able to pass. As he was getti8ng ready to pass, his frustration clouded his thought, and he didn’t check properly. He almost hit an oncoming car, and would have if the car hadn’t rammed the brakes. His frustration always makes him a bad driver by clouding his rational judgment.
There are good drivers as well. There are those people who always follow the rules. There are those drivers who are willing to take a break from our mobile world to help another driver and need. And let’s not forget that good old Mr. Nice Guy who lets us go first, even if he has the right or way. If there were morte drivers like this, and less like my dad, the road would be a much better and safer place.
As far as personality is concerned, I don’t think our personality changes when we’re behind the wheel. That would be psychologically unhealthy. Rather, the frustration and stress of driving simply bring out the worst in us. A normally calm person can show their true potential as a road-rager. A person who is usually logical may abandon reason. These are the things that happen when we are thrust right into the middle of the fast paced world of travel.
As far as accidents are concerned, I have been in at least one accident, possibly two. The story is rather exhilarating. Me and my family used to live up north, up until the time where my mother and father split up. It was also in the mountains. As such, there could be hazards in the chilly days of fall and winter, such as black ice, dark roads, and snow. One such day, as my mother, sister, and I were driving home from somewhere, my mother decided to take a short cut using a back road. It was dark out, and we were going a normal speed. There was a cliff to one side that led into a deep gorge. On the other side there was a wooded hill. As we were driving along, I heard a screech. We had hit black ice. We lost control of the car and careened towards the edge of the cliff. We were thoroughly frightened. We hit the edge, and were literally hanging over the edge. Luckily, the car stayed in balance. My mother called for help.
As we were waiting, another car came down the road. It hit the same patch of black ice that we did;. The car flipped over completely. We checked to see if they were ok, and they were, thank goodness. When the police arrived, they helped pull our car back onto the road. The other car was completely totaled, but our car was fine. Everyone involved in the accidents were perfectly fine, escaping only with fright on our part, and minor injuries on the other car’s part. Thank God for that.
When I get my license, I intend to be a very kind driver. I will give charity and follow the laws to the t. I intend to never get angry on the road, because it is a terrible place to get angry. I will help any drivers in need, unless I absolutely have no time at all. Hopefully I will have the self control to live up to these intentions. Hopefully, I’ll be the good driver, and not my father. After all, one good driver can make the road better.
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