The Old Coot is stuck in place.
By Merlin Lessler
I sat in my car. Frozen in place. Stuck in a hyper state
of indecision. All I wanted to do, was back out of a parking space between two
extra large SUV’s and drive home. It was a busy lot, with cars pulling in and
out, pedestrians crossing hither and yon. Some with cell phones held to their
ear, paying scant attention to the danger zone they were transgressing. A
perfect storm! All set for an old coot to run over someone or smash into a car
racing down the travel lane.
I started the car, put it into reverse and took a glance
into the rearview mirror. It seemed OK to move back, but just to be sure, I
glanced down at the image in my back-up camera, then over to my sideview
mirror, then to the passenger sideview mirror and finally out the backseat,
passenger side window. It took so long I wasn’t sure if it was safe to go or
not, so I went through the routine again. And again! My neck was sore from all
the rotations. That’s when I froze in place. Too much input; I was in overload.
Something that never happened when I first drove a car; it only had a rearview
mirror and a single sideview mirror (on the driver’s side) and no tall behemoth
SUV’s blocking the view.
I now understood why some old guys say the heck with it
and just back up without looking. They think they have better odds with luck,
than with a comprehensive study of the surrounding environment. But, I don’t
want to join that club. My crowd has a bad enough reputation as it is: driving
for miles with our blinkers on, getting into the passing lane and not leaving
until we get to our exit, turning left on red as well as right (Why not?),
sitting at traffic lights when they turn green until a chorus of honking horns
gets us moving. I don’t want to add backing up without looking to my driving
habits. So, I’ll continue to try it on my own, and when I get stuck, I’ll wait
for a good Samaritan to come along to hold up traffic and wave me out.
Comments, complaints? – Send to mlessler7@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment