Commentary: This is driving?

We study hard to get our drivers’ license and have a feeling of freedom when we get behind the wheel of an automobile and enjoy the open road. Soon we feel as if we are the best driver in the country.

But driving an automobile in this country is a privilege that carries a big responsibility. The size of the vehicle does not matter — the responsibility is the same. The responsibility we have is the safety of others as well as ourselves.

I learned recently that Tennessee does not have drivers’ training in the public school system. If you want your child to get the training, you have to pay $500 or more per child. At least this is what I was told by one parent.

If you can’t afford this you have to teach them yourself. Are we growing homegrown bad drivers? I drive all over Middle Tennessee delivering building materials to job sites. From city streets to the interstate, driving is a full-time job with concentration and thinking.

Every day is not a holiday in life, and some days we may not feel good physically or mentally. On those days we may have to think more as we drive to keep us safe as well as others. I do not think I am better than any other driver on the road and only want to bring attention to the seriousness of operating a motor vehicle. I am in my mid-50’s and my driving record speaks for itself.

And there are little things we seem to forget sometimes — that a STOP sign or RED LIGHT means just that. It means come to a complete stop before moving into traffic. It seems we have become a society of people that are in such a hurry that we don’t have the time to obey the traffic laws and regulations because it holds us back from getting nowhere fast.

We do not want to give up anything that is a convenience for us even if it can hurt or kill us or someone else. Talking or using a cell phone while driving has become such a normal everyday thing that, according to the New York Times, major cell phone carriers put big money all across America to lobby against cell phone regulations on the highway. It seems we have become a country in which money is becoming more important than our safety or health.

I have to use a cell phone/2-way radio for my work as a driver but I use a hands-free devise and do not hold a conversation on the highway because it takes away my concentration and awareness of driving. If I have to call a customer, I wait until I get to the job site and off the road. If my supervisor calls on the 2-way and traffic is heavy I tell him to standby and I will get in clear traffic situation or get off the road on an exit to talk. I do not want any one to get hurt or killed because I choose to talk and not drive a vehicle as I am supposed to.

We do not have to give up the privilege of using our cell phones if we do it in a way to preserve our safety and the safety of others on the road. It is up to all of us.

Always being in a hurry and being distracted while driving could lead any of us into an early grave. We can only take care of ourselves. If more people do this, we will help take care of each other too.

Terry Hicks, 37210