Thoughts for a New Driver

Dealing with bad drivers and cops

Aim high.

Focus on the horizon. Ignore what’s right in front of you. The current thing and the next thing doesn’t matter. It is probably too late to do anything about. If you try, you’re likely to swerve into a bigger problem. Instead look to where you can react, which is quite a way aways. Your peripheral vision will see the close stuff anyway.

Understeer.

Most abrupt reactions are overreactions. If you’re sober, clean, and legally allowed to be operating outside of prison or psychiatric hospital then the thing you were doing a moment ago should highly correlate with the next thing you should be doing. A tweak should probably be subtle. Yesterday’s portfolio, diet, activities, family should probably be more or less what you want today because presumably you picked these things for a reason. Same with your steering wheel. It is probably about right. No drama.

Leave yourself an out.

Not creating a problem is less than half the battle. Reacting to other people’s mistakes is most of the job. You don’t want to be at fault, but it is far better to avoid any problem than to be in any car crash even if you can prove that you didn’t cause it. Constantly look for a plan B. Where would you swerve if necessary. Keep enough space for options. Never pull up to the car in front of you with less space than to get out of your position. Never leave yourself without choices.

If you get pulled over…

Flip the lights on, open the window, pull way out of the road so the cop has a safe place to stand, and turn off the engine. Then put your hands back on the wheel and relax. By the time he gets to your window, you’ve let him know that he is safe and in charge. Eye contact. “Sir” or “ma’am”. If you’re carrying, when he asks for license and registration, mention that you have a legal concealed carry license in your wallet and ask if he wants to see it. I like mentioning my license because “I have a gun” can sound like a threat even if it is intended as a friendly disclosure. He’ll find out when he runs your license and I prefer a cop to know. Some ask to see it. Some don’t care. But let them know. Tell the truth. Don’t volunteer anything (including unwarranted searches).

Offensive driving

Defensive driving courses sound boring but offensive driving courses are thrilling. Learn to drive offroad, high speed driving, barricade breaching, escape maneuvers, precision immobilization technique (PIT), and threat assessment and attack scenarios. I don’t know why someone would play a video game or watch an action movie over actually learning how to live an adventurous life. Learning a j-turn is fun and could save your life, especially if travel takes you far afield from typical developed world destinations.

Suggestions?

I plan to update this if others chime in with good ideas that I can incorporate. My hope is to get done what needs to get done, have fun in the process, and come out alive.