Drive Like You Shop

Currently in the world and especially in the United States several million people drive everyday to get where they need to go. Even though these people driving, in theory, have been tested on their driving abilities in some way, one can never predict human nature and what someone will do behind the wheel. This could include being distracted in some way while driving or even being emotional while driving, which can cause several opportunities for harm or even death to that driver and others. And so, not only should future drivers learn the technical aspects of driving such as how to operate a vehicle and obey traffic laws, but also have more experience driving among other drivers, driving in different surroundings, and practicing ways to keep emotion out of their driving. All of which things can also be practiced by shopping with a shopping cart.

By practicing driving amongst other drivers it would allow one to get used to the unpredictableness of the road and have to adapt to those situations. In Oregon, for example, I had to obtain 100 hours of driving along with the required test in order to obtain a driver’s license. This not only helped me put into practice what I had learned about traffic safety laws, but also how to deal with other drivers and their decisions on the road. I even experienced a situation once where a person decided to tailgate me and then pass me and slow down. This seemed to be road rage against me, but, even though it was an unpleasant experience, it gave me practice in dealing with a difficult driver. Since this requirement of a certain amount of driving hours is necessary, to different degrees, throughout the United States, then, these hours should be on the open road with other drivers.

Driving in a variety of surroundings would also help the driver be more aware of their surroundings. If one was driving in a neighborhood, for example, they would have to pay attention to different things than if they were driving on a highway. In a neighborhood the streets could be narrower and have parked cars, which adds an extra difficulty for the driver, but it also forces them to be very conscious of their driving and the surroundings that could impede it. Similarly, on a highway there are specific factors that cause the driver to be more vigilant, like high speeds and merge lanes. Driving in these different environments when a driver is obtaining their driving hours could help them not become complacent in their driving and keep their senses sharpened. It would also give them experience on these roads while they have an experienced driver in the vehicle so in the future they will know what to do.

In both of these situations, as well as in driving in general, emotions can affect the way one drives and how they react to things on the road. Like the example mentioned previously, anger can take over, or other emotions like excitement or even sadness. All of these emotions can affect how you drive, whether in how fast you drive, how quick you react, or in other ways. There is not a very specific way to learn to control these emotions, especially when one first starts driving. A way which could help at the start is to try and identify emotions which could hinder good driving ability before you start driving and so you would be aware of them as you drive. Another way would be to know your limits. Many people have a certain amount in which they would not get frustrated or overwhelmed with what they are doing, this also applies to driving. If you know when you will get frustrated or overwhelmed, you can plan accordingly to have someone else drive at that point or take a break somewhere. These two ways, though they might require some extra work, would help improve not only a driver’s own safety but also the safety of those they share the road with.

It may be said that all of these suggestions to improve driving for drivers and others’ safety will themselves be a safety issue due to inexperienced drivers on the road, however there is an activity which may help improve these same skills, but in an arguably safer environment. This would be shopping, particularly using a full size shopping cart. Though it may seem unorthodox, shopping with a shopping cart has many similarities to driving. First of all, full size shopping carts can be awkward to handle which means that you have to be intentional on where you move it in order to not get it stuck; much like how when you drive you have to be very intentional on how you operate it in order for it all to go smoothly. Secondly, shopping with a shopping cart in a store also requires you to move it around other shoppers and carts, like driving among other drivers, except when shopping the harm that can be caused is much smaller. When driving if you make a mistake it could cause a fatality, but when shopping the worst might be an injured toe. And finally, when you are shopping there can be many emotions involved that can be frustrating or overwhelming, much like when driving, so control of emotions can be learned in a store as well as on the road.

The overall goal of all of these tactics is to prevent harm or even death because of driving, so whatever form is most conducive to learning them, whether it be on the road or in a grocery store, could help make the road safer for everybody.