Recently, I was talking to one of my former professors when he told me that when he turned 65 years old, the state of North Carolina made him come in to take a driving test to make sure that he was still ok to drive safely on the roads of North Carolina. He laughed when he told me about it, but I couldn’t help but think about it some more when I got home later that day.
It’s kind of sad to grow older and not have things work as well or as quickly as they used to. In one sense, my professor was faced with this reality when he had to go in for a mandatory driving test to prove that he could still drive and obey the rules of the road. If you ask me, they should administer tests like this to everyone no matter what their ages are. I have certainly seen my share of bad drivers under the age of 65!
Driving as a senior can be dangerous not only for the senior but for other people around that senior. When I was in the police department, we were forced to watch a video on knowing the difference between a drunk driver versus a senior driver versus someone who was off of their medications OR all three. My boyfriend, who also used to be a police officer, told me the story of how when he was on training with another officer during a night shift, they noticed that the vehicle in front of them was swerving all over the road. Immediately, they saw signs that indicated the person behind the wheel had to be a drunk driver.
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The lady who wishes to see England but is married to a couch potato who doesn’t like to travel may be able to spring him off the couch and into an airplane seat if she researches and plans her trip around the extensive automobile attractions that England has to offer. As a quick surf on Google will reveal, England has a plethora of automobile museums. However, in England they are usually referred to as motor transport museums. One very large museum with an extensive collection of over 400 cars is the Haynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford in Somerset. It houses the largest collection of the world’s greatest cars. And for traveling families, there is an adventure play area, Super Diggers, soft play bus, and a children’s activity center. The automotive display is spread over eleven themed halls including the famous Red Room in Hall Number 2. The Red Room showcases fifty red sports cars from all over the world, for example a 1981 Lamborghini Countach 400s and a 1965 AC Cobra. The first hall contains cars from birth to 1910 such as a 1900 clement 2.25hp Voiturette. Hall 5 exhibits a blend of veteran, vintage, Edwardian and classics. Here one can find a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Derham bodied Tourster and a Jaguar collection. Hall 7 is devoted to motorsport and exhibits racing cars such as the 1996 Ferrari Formula 1 Type F310(DC) and the 1926 BugatiT35B.
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If you are a woman, unfortunately, you have to be significantly more careful when you drive alone at night. Depending on the area of the country that you live in, it may not even be advisable to do so. Driving at night is incredibly dangerous for a number of reasons. First of all, your visibility is greatly reduced because of how dark it is, which makes it difficult to see predators or animals in the roadway. It is also dangerous because you really have to pay more attention to your surroundings when you get into and out of your vehicle, especially in areas that are not well lit.
In light of all of this information, it is always a good idea to do most of your traveling during the day if you can help it. If you really find that you have no other choice, then try to find a driving companion. If that doesn’t work, then you simply have to be on your toes. Carry a fully charged cell phone and a list of hand-written emergency numbers should your cell phone die and you have to use a pay phone or land line. Remember, just because the majority of people in the world have cell phones doesn’t meant that cell phones don’t occasionally fail to work, forcing us to [gasp] actually have to use a payphone. Having said that, make sure you always carry some loose change (at least a couple of dollars in change) and some small bills.
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The other day, I was driving back from my boyfriend’s parents’ house at night. Because I’ve been trying to save on gasoline, I was actually doing only two or three miles over the speed limit (as opposed to fifteen or twenty!). As I was driving, I couldn’t help but notice all of the people who were practically killing each other on the road just to get around each other. It was ridiculous and wholly unnecessary.
Whenever I see people speeding, I wonder what the major emergency is. Sometimes I think it would be fun to follow one of these speeders back to wherever it is they’re in a rush to get to just to see what the situation is. Perhaps they have a loved one who just called them from the hospital. Perhaps there is an emergency with their pet or child. After giving it some thought, I’ve reasoned that I bet it is none of those things. I bet people speed because a) they really have to go to the bathroom b) they’re just in a bad mood c)they hate driving so much that they can’t wait to get out of their car and hit the couch for a little rest and relaxation in front of the television. My guess is that nine times out of ten it’s probably the last choice….or it could be road rage.
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Back in 2004, my father surprised me at my college graduation with a brand new Jeep Liberty that he drove himself and my immediate family down in. I was elated. A couple of years ago, I decided to get another new Jeep, a 2007 Liberty….then the economy collapsed. Whoops.
There was a time when purchasing an SUV might have mad more sense. Remember when the Hummers first hit the scene as being a vehicle for the all American, cookie cutter family? Then we saw the explosion of the once soccer moms hitting the terrain in these vehicles that looked more cut out for a desert excursion than for a girl scouts meeting at the church. People became annoyed with those who owned Hummers, accusing them of being selfish drivers who cut people off and hogged multiple parking spaces in mall parking lots. Looking back now, I’m pretty sure that these people weren’t hogging the parking spots on purpose- it was just that they couldn’t figure out how to park the vehicles!
Today, with people losing their jobs left and right and an economy that is almost set to fail under the rise of inflation, and the bankruptcy of major car producers such as General Motors and Chrysler, people are opting out of buying sports utility vehicles, and are instead focusing more on driving energy efficient, compact cars. If all else fails and they’ve still got legs to walk on, they’re breaking out their best pair of walking or running shoes and hitting the pavement.
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Getting your first car is extremely exciting. However, it can also be devastating if you come out and realize that your car has been stolen. No one likes to have things taken from them without their knowledge. This is especially the case if you have paid a significant amount of money for an item such as a vehicle. Suddenly you find yourself in a tizzy as you try to dig through what paperwork you have in order to report your car theft to the proper authorities.
If you come out to your driveway or wherever you last had your vehicle parked and you realize that it’s gone, the first thing you’ll want to do is contact your local police department. If you are out of town, obviously it will make sense to contact the police who have jurisdiction in that particular area. While you are waiting for the police to arrive, think back to the last time your car was parked there. Information that the police will want to know will be include such questions as: What time did you last see your car? Were the car doors locked? Do you have a working, audible alarm system? What sorts of valuables did you have in the vehicle? What does the vehicle look like? What’s the make, model and year? Did you notice any strange people in the area prior to your car being stolen or suspect any strange activity?
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