Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Drive on the right side of the road, dammit!

I have just had my second driving lesson in Delaware. I am such a lousy driver, I really wonder if I will ever be able to drive in this country! 

My driving instructor has been telling me to "speed up! speed up!".  I drive at a speed of 30 mph in a zone of 55 mph....uuuuffff! I am terrified that someone is going to come from the left, from the right, from every side and bang into me. I think it's my Indian orientation. Of course there will be cars, autos, buses, people, dogs and cows coming at you from all sides!
                        
Then there’s the question of staying on the right side of the road. I keep thinking I'm going too much to the right, and then too less...and of my God! What if someone wants to overtake me? They'll pass you from the left dufus! Stay in your lane and speed up. Just remember to stop at the stop sign, not just slow down. Never mind that the road is empty, you have to stop! 

Speaking of stopping, I have to stop putting my left foot on the brake and the right on the accelerator. Since there is no clutch, the left foot has to relax on the side. Of course, I won't let it. I keep putting it on the brake. The width of the brake pedal doesn't help either...there's enough room on it for both my feet! I have to, have use my right foot to brake and to accelerate. Or I'll be breaking and accelerating all at once at a speed of 50mph! And to think that my problem with driving in India was the fact that I was speeding and not slowing down in time...

4 comments:

  1. So true! HAHA I have been and am going through the same stuff here in MT :) I even took two turns into on coming traffic! Pretty hard to unlearn Indian driving instincts too.

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  2. Vandana, at least you passed your driving test, never mind the 2 wrong turns!:) I have serious doubts about myself!!:)

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  3. I guess girls are more scared because they are more disciplined!
    I have made 9 trips to the US, driven 9000 miles on rental cars and had no problems. I can do much better in Pune/Mumbai traffic. Call it indiscipline ;-)

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  4. I think you are absolutely right Amit!:)

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