A Little Patience Please

For the past year I have been chauffeured around by our 15-year-old daughter. Quite frankly, since I have been the passenger and am paying extra close attention to what is going on around us, I think I can safely say she is probably one of the safer drivers on the road. She doesn't take chances making turns. She actually stops when the light turns yellow instead of trying to fly through it. She goes the speed limit - or pretty close to it. She is cautious and careful. There are mountains that we go up and down with lots of curves and steep grades, which she handles well at the speed limit.

In the process of getting her 50 plus hours of driving in before we go to get her license next Friday, I have to tell you we have experienced some really rude and impatient drivers.

Today, as she waited for a couple of cars to go before she made a left turn, you could see the frustration on the face of the driver behind us. As we made the turn, people were clearly looking to see who in the world was driving that car. Could an experienced driver have safely made the turn before the two cars went by? Yes. BUT, I would rather our daughter err on the side of playing it safe than throwing caution to the wind.

Confession: I have probably been one of those impatient drivers. This experience has taught me the rest of the story. I need to practice patience and make sure I am being a good example to teens who are learning the rules of the road.