The Road

I am very much still in the category that insurance companies like to call 'inexperienced drivers', given I only got my license last year. To me, though I continue to learn and take notes each day I drive, I don consider myself to be a more than competent driver, and I don't mean that I can drive at 200 mph with my eyes closed, but rather that I drive with consideration for all road users, pedestrians and other drivers alike. I do hear that every driver thinks he's the best driver, however, so I won't take my self-declared competence to mean much.

With that in mind, it's abundantly clear to me that the definition of a 'good driver' varies vastly, depending on who you ask. As a student, my classmates would often refer to a 'good' driver as that driver (typically an older brother, father, cousin or 'bone-e-fied' bredrin) who drives from Kingston to Montego Bay in 45 minutes. I never for a minute believed their stories, but having seen and experienced it for myself, I wouldn't write off their stories as falicies, allowing of course for the inevitable exageration.

Much of what I experience on the road disturbs me. I fancy myself as a defensive driver- that doesn't mean that I drive at 20 mph (frankly, you can get killed on our roads no matter what speed you drive at), but it means that (for example):
1. I wait a second or two after getting a green light, in anticipation of the jackass who will run their red light without a second thought;
2. I prepare for the bus or taxi that will merge into traffic with no warning and no regard, and the jackass who will change lanes, signalling with his hand not to notifiy of his intentions, but to warn your stupid ass that he's coming though and you need to back off; and
3. I pay attention to the jackass pedestrian who is not entirely aware of the fact that his body has no real horsepower and will get flattened if he decides to step into the path of my vehicle.

For me, driving is hardly ever just fun, no in Jamaica. Driving in Jamaica is about self preservation- "How can I get from point A to point B without the aid of an ambulance or a hearse?" Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority. In every trip I make to St. Ann from Kingston, I find at least 5 stories to tell about a bad driver, silly pedestrian, or huge pothole that attempts to screw me over. I have the same minimum of 5 stories when travelling 1 or 2 miles from work to my home each day.

The worry for me is that the blatant indiscipline that surrounds us on the roads will never die- not while people are allowed to legally drive for the right price and without ever doing a proper examination, not while the same police who should make our streets safer fund the operation of illegal taxis, not while the road code is made to be rules with penalties and not just guidelines while may or may not be followed... that's how it seems anyway. I want to enjoy being on the road. I appreciate being able to use a vehicle to get where I need to do, but I can't say it's usually fun.