It’s your choice

jeep 1I remember a time when I was a kid when I got these great new running shoes. These shoes were white and had “racing stripes” down the side. I remember telling my mom they would help me run faster than ever! I even went into the backyard and showed her. I believed the “hype” of these fancy new running shoes. However, looks can be deceiving. We tend to try to take advantage of what we have, only to realize not much has changed. I tend to witness this quite often while driving.

Driving 4-wheel drive vehicles and all-wheel drive vehicles are a great advantage to many drivers, especially in winter weather. They give the driver more power with having 4 wheels moving the vehicle during times of need. Remember though, its power, not traction. Making choices as a driver is a constant thing, but sometimes we’re challenged to make the proper choices. Take for example the driver of this 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Jeep 2This driver made the choice to park where they did in this massive parking lot. They placed half their vehicle in a large snowbank. They did this on purpose. I sat there and watched the driver enter the parking lot, park, sneak out of the vehicle and trudge through the deep snow to get out of their vehicle. Now, in a heavy snow storm, that may seem a common action. If you look at the last photo, there were plenty of open parking spaces just behind where they parked. Again, this was the driver’s choice. I didn’t stay around long enough to wait for this driver to leave, but why make it more difficult for yourself?

jeep 3Driving is a choice. How you drive is a choice. Where you drive is a choice. Even when you drive is a choice in most cases. With all of these choices we need to make as a driver, it’s important to think beyond the immediate. Learn to think into the future. Think about “what if” before you make a driving choice. For example, what if I parked here? Could I get stuck? Is there a better place to park? And so on. We were often taught this as a kid by our parents, so now it’s time to ask ourselves that same question.

jeep 4While in motion and driving in traffic we need to constantly make choices from which lane to drive in, when to change lanes, how fast to drive, how far from the other drivers I need to be, which roads to drive on and which route we should take. The more we practise early choices, the safer we can be and the less stressed we can be while behind the steering wheel.

Avoid making driving more difficult for yourself than it has to be. It’s not about proving that you can handle these more difficult situations. It’s more about making the proper choices to prove you don’t need to. Think about it. After all, it IS your choice.