Safe Driving
I just got back from my friend's house. Earlier this morning, his younger brother had a very bad car accident. Swerving at high speed to avoid crashing into another car, Umair drove straight into a tree. Thankfully, he sustained only minor injuries and after a short stay in the ER was sent home to nurse a black eye. The car is completely mashed up.
I see a lot of young drivers here in Lahore who, caught up in a teenaged hormonal frenzy, endanger their own lives as well as the lives of others. I'm not sure what to say to them because I think even they know what they're doing is wrong. That's why it's so much fun. The thrill lies in breaking rules and being yourself. Or so they think. And there are easier things than trying to wrestle the stupidity of a teenage boy. I know. I used to be one. But now, as an adult, I realise that, in spite of their stupidity, I have a responsibility towards those younger than me. I know now that I have to pre-empt their moronic schemes and find ways to divert their attention, to prevent them from getting hurt. So I guess I'm going to ask all those who read this to please not let your teenagers have free reign over the car until you are convinced that they are safe drivers. In most countries, a good way of ensuring this is to make them take a driving test and earn a license. In Pakistan, however, that's not much of an option since corruption and carelessness render those rules redundant. In these circumstances, it's up to individual responsibility.
Protect your teenagers. They may be idiots but they're yours.
6 Comments:
today while coming home someone overtook me from the left side, annoyed and thinking that the person might be talking on the phone i glared at him but my bad, the poor guy had something stuck in his nose so he was using his fingers as foreceps to pry his brain out.
then as i crossed the chawk a guy ran in front of the car , lo and behold he was doing the same thing.....have heard of friends day, mothers day, fathers day but general booger day???
and yes the conclusion drive safely had i been driving fast then that joke would have applied here, "a mans hand came under a car and he died. how? he had his finger in his nose"
sorry kk i couldnt help myself jsut had to write this long comment :)
YUCK at above comment, & i swear i can never understand tht joke.
karveykaraley, i guess thats the joys of living where you live. & for speeding/dangerous driving, you never get fined unless the policeman is in dire need for some money. what moriots!! [morons + idiots]
first, this sentence I know now that I have to pre-empt their moronic schemes and find ways to divert their attention, to prevent them from getting hurt sounded like it was going to be the beginning of a new superhero series. with some heart-thumping music playing and flags flying, i imagined some superman type character whose goal in life was to stop the moronic schemes of teenagers who think they are invincible. it was a VERY funny image, i nearly blew my "reading blogs while at work" cover by laughing out loud. all due to your one innocent sentence. if you were trying to get me fired, good job!
second, this is a universal teenager psychological phenomenon - the invincibility effect. but resolved, once again, by following Islam as dictated.. remembering Allah swt and death will certainly make some drivers more careful.
third, i must insist that there's a difference between driving fast and driving dangerously. personally, i drive fast but slow down if conditions necessitate it (rain, snow, city driving, etc). Which is good because I'm not 17 & don't have that excuse.
Ushi: that's unfortunate. People should pick their nose before they cross the street.
Zab: "i guess thats the joys of living where you live."
No, it isn't. It's the way people get killed.
Anjum: (one) no, it wasn't meant to sound superheroic. Or funny. But I'm glad you got a good laugh out of it anyways. it does read funny, i agree.
(two) driving fast is not so bad when you're comfortable with the car, have lots of practise and are driving in safe traffic. it's a different situation when every other driver believes himself to be Michael Schumacher's long-lost twin and the roads are strewn with potholes, jaywalkers and all variety of bovine traffic.
sarcasm
abu ji's advice about driving here was exactly what you just wrote up. to look at what the other guy is doing. you have to almost read his mind. and prempt stupidity. it works. most of the time. other times they are women drives who there's no hope for *ducks* or sleaze balls who try to bother you
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