Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

New drivers. Could there be anything more terrifying than a brand-new driver in your family? Okay, perhaps scarier might be an elderly driver who needs to “give up the keys.” And if dealing with new drivers isn’t enough to cause major anxiety, the fact that Phoenix ranks as the eighth worst driving location (wrecks, DUIs, fatalities) in the country doesn’t help matters. It gets worse.

Per capita, Arizona has the worst red light running fatalities in the nation. Because if you have been driving here for very long, you will notice that a yellow caution light evidently means putting your foot on the gas and going like the devil through the intersection. It is dangerous out there! Now I have one grandson, teaching another grandson how to drive. Lordy, help me.

I learned to drive back in the day when seat belts weren’t even “a thing” and when the roads were not as congested. Well, that was also rural Ohio. I basically got my training in the neighborhood cemetery, because my father told me that I couldn’t harm anybody if I went off the road. Every day, I would take the Chevy to the cemetery with my frightened mother in the passenger seat (praying) and then I would drop her off by my grandparents’ grave with a lawn chair. I would drive around the beautiful (and quiet) grounds for about thirty minutes.

This training didn’t exactly prepare me for the highways, but I got the hang of driving and once I got my license, I was given permission to drive once a week to the store and back. Today is different. My “new driver,” Brandon has already gone on the I-17, which can frighten many of us with years of experience.

Over two million new drivers hit the roads each year. That statistic is what causes worry and panic in the hearts of parents. We must remind them of danger. Wear your glasses, fasten your seatbelt, turn off your phone, drive the speed limit! “Be careful” are the two most common words spoken to new drivers by nervous parents. Kids, please listen.

The elderly unsafe driver is another story. Families have done interventions to wrestle away the car keys from a parent or grandparent who is no longer “okay” on the road. One clue is when you notice lots of dents in your loved-one’s car, with no explanation. My neighbor’s mother swiped several cars in a grocery store parking lot and then drove into her garage door because she was so rattled afterwards. She finally agreed driving was becoming “too much” and handed over the keys. New drivers and old drivers have something in common. The accident rate goes up.

I sat in the back seat while Brandon drove and held onto the ceiling grab handle several times. I think I might have yelled “Slow down,” a few times. I said prayers. Other than that, it was all good. Dear Readers, try to avoid new drivers. How will you know if the driver is “new?” Look for a passenger screaming (or lips moving in silent prayer) who is holding onto grab bars. Then, steer clear.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.