Entering the world of drivers….

Finally on 14th February, I got hold of the keys for my first car…. Chevy Spark.
It was more than 2 months after I got my driving license. It was hardly one month into driving school and that meant always with a trainer. Now I had to try on my own.
Staying a densely populated area of Thane near Mulund check post, everyone was thinking that I should drive with someone experienced alongside at least for a few weeks.

But there was no one around who could take up this job. This was the only second time that a four wheeler was bought first one being that of my sister’s. It was not possible to spent time and that apart from her and her husband I was the only person in family to get a four wheeler license.

So finally I decided to venture out on my own or rather I had to.

On the day of collecting vehicle from dealer, I had my brother in law Yogesh with me to guide me to take it safely (for me as well as for others :-)) home. And later we went out for a dinner when I drove it alone thus gaining confidence.

The very next day I drove it out to the petrol pump. It was an “end to end first gear” journey. It took me whole 10 minutes just to position the vehicle correctly at the pump. Also I did something which I had read so far in jokes about women driving a car…. I drove for sometime before realizing that I had not released the handbrake.

Then again in the evening I and Deepa went out roaming around the city. We entered into heavy traffic. I “managed” to brush against a biker who trying to squeeze between cars and make way. Thankfully traffic police there took my side. So that was first day out alone. The next day also we went out in the evening… this time it was something bigger I “managed”. Again in heavy traffic I hit an auto from behind when it suddenly stopped I could not. Although it was at less than 5 km speed and neither the auto nor the car had even a scratch, it was a start of dealing with the special class of drivers called “Rikshaw-wallah”.

Since then it has been a smooth ride so far… only once I did a mess up after that when I stopped in the middle of a fast moving traffic. I ended up getting too much curses and advices at the same time from all directions :-)

All this has taught me to look at the surrounding from a driver point of view. Earlier as a pedestrian I used to cross the road in anticipation that that approaching vehicle will somehow manage to stop or all of a sudden getting into the way of a vehicle when it is slow traffic in market etc.

Now after getting behind the wheel I realize how much pressure it gives to the driver.So at least one thing has changed for me… the way I look at the world… it ias a new perspective now, a “Drivers perspective”