My father taught me how to drive almost immediately after we arrived in California just days after my sixteenth birthday. If you knew Jerry, you know just how terrifying that must have been!
He was tough, demanding and unrelenting when it came to the foundational skills of world-class defensive driving without ever having been taught them himself. One of the things he taught me was to drive a quarter to a half-a-mile ahead. And, he did it by turning it into a game that went something like this.
“Second lane from the left… One-quarter mile ahead. The brake lamps just went on. What kind of car is that?”
It Was Easier Then
It was easier when each vehicle had a distinct style. Especially, when it came to tail and brake lamps. But it taught me to anticipate what was going on far enough down the road to maintain a safe distance. He taught me to be aware of what the drivers occupying the adjacent lanes were doing and helped me to expect the unexpected. That’s a polite way of saying to expect anyone of them was likely to do something stupid!
He wouldn’t allow me to take my driver’s test until he was sure I was capable of anticipating what was happening all around me and certain I always left enough room for a Plan B emergency. That lesson was and still is universal, as applicable in life and business as it is on the road. It is so important I included it in Misfire: What To do When Things Aren’t Running on All Cylinders.
It’s been a critical component of my treatment and recovery, for the time I was diagnosed with Primary Myelofibrosis. Through the transplant and this current bout of Graft vs Host Disease. And, now, combating the blood clots in my left leg and the pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. It helped me anticipate problems on the road to recovery and prepare for them mentally.
Certainly, something worthy of consideration as we approach a new year.
anticipationdefensive drivingmaneuverabilitysituational awareness