Hands-on Driving

One of the things that often thwarts my photography efforts at the wildlife refuge is the sound made by lowering my window. As soon as I push the button and begin the process whatever I was hoping to photograph flies away. I had the thought last week that perhaps if I still had manual crank windows I might be able to sneak up on my subjects. Of course rolling down the window would probably take an eternity, so perhaps I would still miss the shot.

That little incident prompted me to remember how “hands-on” driving used to be. The first thing that came to mind was the effort required to turn the steering wheel. Either I was weak or we had a few cars without power steering because some of my early driving experiences required grunting and gritting my teeth. Of course I started driving around the ranch when I was nine, so perhaps it was a bit of both.

The most difficult skill for me to master was the procedure for turning. First of all it required steering with one hand, something that required some practice. Second, I had to remember the hand signals for left, right, and stop. Left: stick your arm out and point to the left. Right: stick your arm out and point upward. Stop: stick your arm out and point to the ground. I loved the DMV’s admonition to “make your arm as visible as possible”. ??? By doing what? But the most difficult part of signaling by hand was trying to follow these guidelines from the DMV:

• Continue signalinguntil the turn or lane change is complete.
• Remember to use signalswhen pulling to or away from a curb.
• Signal before you begin to brake.

That first one was impossible. I couldn’t continue to signal with one hand and turn with the other. I needed the strength of both arms to turn that wheel! And pulling away from a curb was difficult enough- usually requiring me to NOT hit the car in front of me- so I wasn’t about to signal at the same time. And how could I signal at full speed? Crazy rules! BTW, the DMV still recommends hand signals if you are in a sunset or sunrise situation that might make seeing your turn signal lights difficult, or if a light is not working.

My short stature made it necessary for me to take a few minutes before driving to adjust the side and rear view mirrors in our family car. Both had to be done by hand and the side view was the most difficult to “guesstimate” while still in the driveway. I sometimes ended up driving under less than ideal conditions because I couldn’t see the cars behind me. I even recall pulling over to the side of the road more than once to adjust my mirrors.

When I first started driving I also had to adjust the radio, heater, wipers, and everything else on the dashboard with knobs that required some time and visual confirmation. I seldom tried to change radio stations once I was headed down the road. I’ve heard some people say that as we’ve added conveniences to our vehicles we’ve increased our distractions. Perhaps. But those early days of hands-on driving certainly meant that our eyes and hands were often diverted from our primary task of driving down the road. Multi-tasking always has and always will be a requirement of driving…unless I opt for a self-driving car.

I suppose I really should be grateful for electric windows. Despite their somewhat noisy operation they allow me to do something that was impossible with hand crank windows- roll down the passenger window. I’ve done that many, many times in order to take a photo, release an insect from the car, talk to someone in a parking lot, or see something more clearly.

Yes, I’ll keep all the push-button convenience of my current vehicle. My hands are getting older and weaker.

Comments

[Marilyn Crabtree]

We are definitely spoiled by our "instant" conveniences that are now spoiling us. Now our distractions are the phones, eating and I understand some ladies putting on make-up while driving. I don't understand the last one.