What do you think of women drivers???

[LeslieDean]

I had to go downtown yesterday to take care of a buisness matter. The weather was blistering cold, strong winds and grey skies. It had been snowing but since the ground was still warm from the record breaking summer heat the snow did not stick. I was driving my husbands truck, a King Ranch F250 4WD and realized I had to paralelle park once arriving to my destination. I tried to pull up close to the vehicle iin front of me and angel in backwards like you are taught. Then I had two cars behind me laying on their horns because it was taking me a while to park that big truck without hitting the front car and the one behind me. I finally thought I should just give up because I did not want to cause people to be so upset with me so I just pulled back out and made the block. There are many one way streets downtown and I had to go around a large square of streets to end back up where I started. Same spot still opened so I took this as a good thing and tried again. Again more cars stacking up behind me and being very rude as I kept trying to park the truck. The street was devided by a concrete center medium so I could not pull out as far as I would have liked to make the task easier. So again around the blocks I go. The THIRD time I just said "forget it" I am not going to worry about the people who come up behind me after I start the process, they will just have to wait. And wait they did. Finally I got it mastered, got my purse, and got out of the truck locking it behind me. I went to the parking meter, dug for change then heard a voice behind me. "Miss. Oh, Miss" I thought great some one is wanting money for a hand out. I clutched my hand bag, and looked over my shoulder and it was an officer. He said "May I see your drivers license and registration?" I said "Okay, sure officer" and I again dug for my license and opened the truck and got inside where I could reach the console and removed the copy of insurace verification and appropriate forms. He ooked at them and said everything seemed to be in order but could I step out of the truck please. He assisted me off the running board because my high heel sliepped of the running board and got wedged beteen the trucj and the board. Finally my nerves were getting the best of me and I asked "Is something wrong officer?" Which he replied "I'll ask the questions" Then he asked me to walk a few steps by placing one foot squarely in front of the other. I siad "What?" Then he demostrated for me. I said I knew how to do it I wanted to know why he wanted me too. I could not do this to save my soul. The wind was blowing strong, people were watching, and the pavement was wet. He then asked me to close my eyes and stick my arms stright out to my side and touch my nose. I was able to do this without problem. He then said one more thing--stay right here with your hands on the front of the trucks hood. By now my cheeks were flaming and I wanted to cry. He walkied directly across the street and down to his police car and came back with a little black bag. He then took a device out and asked me to blow in it. I started stuttering and telling him I had not been drinking and why was he picking on me. He then told me to just "cooperate" and it would be over in a minute. I took a deep breath and blew my air into this contrapation which I now know was a breathalyzer and was not worried because I knew I had not been drinking. It registered 0 and he said he was sorry for detaining me but I was "fortunate" to have had a negative reading so he would not write me a ticket! I said "Fortunate? Why would you write me a ticket when I have not been drinking. That would be CRAZY" He then asked me to step back and take a look at the way I parked the truck. I thought it looked fine. It was angeled a little to far and not as close to the curb as my husband gets it but it was still with in the white lines but with a slight angle. He said he had been watching me for 20 minutes circle the block and keep attempting to park the truck and since it is "the season to be jolly" he was doing his part in keeping the roads safe. UI sure am glad my husband does not read this DB.

You all be careful out there.

[Charlyx]

Oh Leslie, what an experience ! I understand that you need to write all it down. Do you feel better now ?

It's not easy to keep one's calm in such a situation. I have notice that some circumstances adds one to another and meanwhile your inner tension increases slowly until it becomes very hard to keep a certain control of your reactions. Apart this, you have to keep a good attitude toward people in general for the sake of the witnessing you are giving and your Bible based conscience. When finally you get through, you feel so tired that you do need a true moment to relax and recover your ideas.

What could I say ? I use to take advantage of any stressing situation to exercise my self control ( I hardly cope successfully with it). I stop a minute and think " hey, what is that opportunity trying to teach you ? Are you going to loose your calm ? How ought you manage to get through with it ?" And sometimes it helps me.

Now to answer to your question ? I think that women are being victims of a certain form of discrimination from some macho men for a long time. And unconsciously, they have this pressure which complicate the difficulties they are facing. I think it's harder for a women to get out from a delicate situation with cars than for a man.

So take good courage and do the best you can, praying Jehovah to help you keeping your control in any situation. Easier to say than to do.

[LeslieDean]

After that ordeal I could have used a drink :>)

[ava]

After that ordeal I could have used a drink :>)

Leslie, that is awful!!! I have had days like that where things just don't go right and it can be so tiring!!

As to your question about women drivers, there are good ones and bad ones, just as in men drivers, good and bad. Years and years and years ago, when women didn't drive as much, maybe that old cliche that women were bad drivers was true, but I don't think so anymore. Nowadays with so many people on the road and every one racing here and there, I think that there are equal bad drivers among both sexes. And in regards to parallel parking, if you don't do that very often, then yeah, it can be tricky no matter if you are female or male. I use to parallel park alot when I lived in Chicago, but where I am now in TX, I never have to do it. I use to be very good at it, but now I go years and years without doing it, so I am not as good as I use to be. And in a Pickup, lol, that's even harder. My husband has a pickup, and I know it's a bit trickier in that thing.

Hope your day got better!!!!!

[surfergirl]

What an ordeal For ya leslie. you was driving Some other vehicle. I am the .same lf l drive some other car. l have been behind the men drivers they Can be shocking. l hope Not to Stir any egos. Lol People get in patient. When its your torr turn its another matter. or they Will tailgate ìf ya and with high beams. l wouId rather people take their time than to cleanup a messy bingle. l smash My Ford Wagon years ago a guy was driving. lt was all guys. the one in Front didn't have break lights he was waiting For the Cars in Front. l was driving wasn't going Fast next min. Bang l was shocKed.

[paulc]

Leslie, Sounds like a pretty awesome truck you're driving. Is it diesel too? The fact that your husband is ok with you driving his little toy tells me you must be a pretty good driver. Parallel parking that big rig is a lot more difficult than parallel parking, say, a little prius is a good test of anyones driving skills.

[Qapla]

Leslie, my first reaction to your story was

Now, for what I think about "women drivers" ... since I have four daughters and a wife who all drive I can say that I have no problem with women driving. I have seen my fair share of bad, inept, odd, ludicrous driving from equal numbers of men as women.

I have seen many men who cannot parallel park.

Now, if you want to try something really challenging, you should try parallel parking a 3/4 ton full size van with a raised roof with a trailer connected ... yes, it can be done.

[barbara10]

I am sooo sorry Leslie that you had to go through that. The police officer must not have had anything better to do. Bet HE can't parallel park that Ford F250! As a pioneer I am out in service a lot, and always willing to use my vehicle - a Chevy Trailblazer. Not small, not too big, just right. Thursday I went to the KH for early morning service (7 a.m.) Well, three other sisters showed up, no brother. I offered to drive, car was heated (cold outside - 37F). All piled in, everyone was comfortable. Sister next to me said she would say the prayer. While pulling her scarf over her head, sister in the back laughed and said, you better pray for us, Barbara's driving! I always thought I was a careful driver - maybe it's because they are used to smaller cars and not one quite so big and high up. I did not take offense, but laughed with everyone and said I thought I drove carefully. Well, sister next to me snuck in "and keep us safe" during prayer. Knowing my sisters, it was all in great fun - and yes, it's ok to pray for safeness, not from me but from all the other nuts on the road, mostly impatient men drivers! Makes me want to give them the December Awake on Patience!!

[LeslieDean]

I was talking with a friend this evening who was laughing when I told her that the officer said he was just trying to do his part in "keeping the road safe"! She said I should have told him "Thank you for doing your job. There are so many of us out there!" (poor paraelle parkers that is) I am a very cautious driver. Never a ticket. I don't even apply makeup while driving! I was so considerate and nervous about making others wait on me it must have made me look suspicous....

[retroHelen]

We had an elderly sister in our congregation who was quite eccentric and single-minded. She drove into a busy town centre after the ministry with me as a passenger in her little mini car. She wanted too stop off at a bakery to get some bread for sandwiches. There were no vacant parking places in the town main square with the War Memorial in the centre that cars had to drive around. She thought that having a disabled parking permit let her park anywhere and not get bothered by Policemen. She suddenly decided decided to just park up beside all the parked cars at the square and get out, shouting back to me that she would only be a minute in the bakery. She'd locked me in and some sort of child safety lock came on so I couldn't get out.

Well she had arthritis and took ages to get to the shop, which turned out to be busy at lunchtime. As I sat there, the other parked cars drove away one by one and I was left in her car, now parked in the middle of the road with people staring in at me and drivers swerving around either side of the car, negotiating their way around the statue in the centre - I was dying of embarassment when she returned and just breezily started up and set off without a care causing a few folk to brake to avoid her.

[Hammerhead]

Leslie, my first reaction to your story was

Now, for what I think about "women drivers" ... since I have four daughters and a wife who all drive I can say that I have no problem with women driving. I have seen my fair share of bad, inept, odd, ludicrous driving from equal numbers of men as women.

I have seen many men who cannot parallel park.

Now, if you want to try something really challenging, you should try parallel parking a 3/4 ton full size van with a raised roof with a trailer connected ... yes, it can be done.

try the cdl A test

[Catalyst]

My mother was a driving instructor

She taught me to drive

I passed the test first time

What can I say about women drivers

[bagwell1987]

Hey Leslie I can completely understand. Lew has an F-250 short box crew cab. In 2005 they made the steering a bit different. it takes more turns of the wheel to make it turn. Some safety thing, crazy idea they had. I hate driving it. And parallel parking is completely out of the question. And it's not even lifted! I have a single cab short box Dodge pickup and the difference is amazing. I do parallel park mine. You men can have your big trucks!

Let me make you feel better- in '95 my dad finally succumbed to cancer. I was daddy's girl and devastated. I went home the next day and was too upset to stay there so I went to work- my outlet. I drove Lew's big 4x4. It was lifted so when driving in town you had to lift yourself up and really look in the mirrors to see the blind spot. Even then I slowed down and sped up just to see if I had a clear lane to switch to. I put on the blinker and switched. Welll, this... er..."lady" sped up and slowed down right with me- preventing me from seeing her, she stayed in my blind spot. I heard a horn and saw some hand signals but was numb with grief, so I just carefully made it to my job 2 miles further up the road. She followed me around the buildings and through the lot. I parked and she did too, next to me. As I walked around the truck she got out of her car- beer cans falling out- and proceeded to tell me how 'us rich...umm...er...people and our big expensive rigs' dominate the road and boss everyone else around. Among other very bad sentences. What made it worse was the 10 year old girl in the front seat. I, again, was so numb I just stood there as she had a cursing screaming fit. The child was wide eyed and just stared at me, possibly afraid I would retaliate. I let it go for a bit but she was running out of steam so I finally said I was so sorry I didn't see her and I didn't mean to scare her child. Her balloon went out of air. The child just stared with her mouth open. My hope is that this child was affected positively, seeing how some people don't react with violence.

To top this off this is my story of how I came to learn about JW. I was 10 and the same scenario was what I saw.

So happy days Leslie! And like someone else said- a Ford Focus is definitely easier!! And at least the officer was sober!

[LeslieDean]

Thanks Cheryl. It is a wonderful reminder that people everywhere are watching.