Driving

I have just recently acquired my driver’s license. For a long time I was one of those people who begged lifts and had the kind of intimate knowledge of bus time tables normally reserved for pensioners and school kids. I am an expert at public transport, including mastering the somewhat tricky balance of remembering to press the bell for your stop as well as keeping your go card in hand to swipe off. Unfortunately, bubs and busses are not an ideal combination. Prams are unwieldy when you are by yourself and carrying your baby in a moving vehicle seems a little dangerous. So now I have to master being a driver. If you see someone on the road in Brisbane going 40ks or stopping for an inordinate amount of time at a roundabout – it may be me. You see, having a brand new car, driving with a baby and having just received your license are a recipe for overtly cautious driving. Ah, the number of times I back-seat drove with my mother admonishing her for not going when there was a clear gap in traffic – it’s all turned back on me now.

I love my new car but I am still a bit afraid of her. Whenever I return from a trip out unscathed and in one piece I am just a tiny little bit surprised. You’re meant to get your license at 17 or 18 because you have no fear and you are going to live forever – I am sure no teenager feels like a nervous wreck behind the wheel! The other day I was coming back from Carindale after doing some shopping. I drove along congratulating myself on a splendid bit of parking and a smooth trip. Then the beeping started. It would disappear and then suddenly get louder. I snuck a look in my rear view mirror to see a 4WD bearing down on me. My sister’s, somewhat colourful , term for this kind of driving is “If that car drives any further up my arse, it had better take me out for dinner.” My mind was racing - could rear parking senses be set off by a tail-gater? I pulled into the next side street and called Nathan and asked for his opinion. He somewhat dryly commented that rear sensors only work when the car is in reverse and if we did have sensors they would have gone off when I attempted to collect the mailbox reversing out of our driveway the other day. Point taken, I got out of the car and checked that all doors were closed. They were. I pulled out and as soon as the car reached 20Ks, the beeping started and got louder. There were no lights on the dashboard to indicate what could be the problem. I pulled over again and called the Mazda service line. After hearing me describe the problem he asked “Now love, I don’t mean to sound sexist, but is your handbag on the seat next to you?” “I have a bag of groceries sitting there” I replied. “Okay, just put that on the floor.” He advised. I began to ask why when it clicked – the bag must have moved in transit and was heavy enough to set off the passenger seatbelt alert. I had a good laugh and he assured me that I wasn’t the first to ring with this issue. The rest of the trip passed without incident apart from Isaac probably wondering what his insane mother kept giggling about.