We can’t believe it, but another year has flown by, and we’re having another birthday here at Petticoats and Pistols. Thank you to all of you who have been here with us not only this last year, but for so many previous ones. You’ve made the journey fun and memorable.
Since we’re turning 16, a lot of us mentioned what a turning point that was in life because it meant we could drive. The next thing we knew we were sharing personal driving mishaps, discussing if we’d used them in our books, and we decided to share those musings with you. Most of the stories are personal, but a couple fillies didn’t have ones to share. Instead they talked about transportation mishaps in their stories.
We hope you enjoy our thoughts, and they help you get to know each of us a little better.
When I took my learner’s permit test, I missed only one question. At sixteen, I aced my driver’s test and got my license. Apparently, however, I didn’t quite understand the concept of looking around or behind me when I reversed. As a result, during the next six months, I was in a total of three fender benders, all of them my fault. The worst one was when I backed my mom’s new Rivera into the side of my brother’s Bronco. Yeah, I was grounded. And no one in the family talked to me for weeks after that.
My husband and I own a trucking company and sometimes I ride along with him. A few years ago, we were heading eastbound on the interstate, hauling eggs back from Ohio, going about 75 mph. My door jiggled open. At that speed some people might wonder if their door will actually open. I can’t say about a car, but in a 379 long-nose Pete? Yes. Yes, it will.
It was kind of interesting, watching the pavement fly by from a new and rather distressing perspective, as I leaned out, grabbing for the latch. I got the door shut and sat in my seat, panting. I hadn’t quite made it to the euphoria-from-having-cheated-death stage, when my husband, who never left off the throttle, because, you know, he’s a man, and we have to GET THERE FAST, looked over at me. “Wow. Wasn’t expecting that,” he said. With one hand on the wheel, he dug under his seat and handed me a wrench and screwdriver. “You mind checking the latch? I’d hate to lose that door.”
As a perfectionist, I hate trying new things when I don’t think I will be very good at them. So, when my dad determined to teach me to drive a stick shift when I was 15, I was a mess. Between the whiplash and the uncontrollable sobbing, my dad gave up.
Fast forward five years, and my fiancé owns a stick shift that will be our only car after we marry. Insecurities battle the need to impress my man, and after a few patient lessons, I manage to semi-master the necessary skills. Today, I’m a proficient stick shift driver, which just goes to show that true love really does conquer all.
Back in the days when large families drove station wagons the size of gunboats, my dad took all nine of us into the country so I could get some driving practice. He sat next to me on the bench seat, with my mom by the passenger side door. I approached a Stop sign at a fair amount of speed, with no sign of slowing down. Maybe I forgot where the brake pedal was, I don’t know. But as we careened closer to that sign, perched on the edge of a ditch, it seemed inevitable I was going to hit it and dive headlights first into that ditch. Only after screaming STOP! STOP! STOP! from the remaining eight family members, did I somehow find the brake pedal with only inches to spare from a collision. I burst into tears, and my dad had had enough. I got out, he moved over, and he drove us all much more safely home.
I learned to drive as a high school junior in 1964. Back then it was offered as a class on driving simulators and credit given. I ran over every person crossing the street and after a few weeks, my instructor told the class that some of us should never be allowed behind the wheel. Thank goodness, he didn’t mention any names, but I knew he was talking about me. Still I kept trying hard. On weekends, my dad took me out to a country road and let me practice. The only thing was our car was a stick-shift and I gave Daddy a whiplash. Thankfully he let me keep at it and I eventually got the hang of it. I passed my state written driving test with a hundred. And even though I was really nervous, I was able to pass the driving part without killing any pedestrians.
The last person my heroine Crystal Jones wants to run into is Sheriff John Turner. Unfortunately, she not only runs into him, she does it with her car! She didn’t mean to give his cruiser a tap and hoped all he gave her was a citation. But she wonders, would she ever be the same seeing him again? After all, her life was nothing but a series of mishaps. Would this be one more thing? She hoped not. She was trying for a fresh start. She didn’t need another broken heart. John broke it well enough the first time. What was he going to do now that she’d smacked his bumper a good one?
I started driving really young as drivers in rural areas sometimes do. My grandma lived about one mile from me on gravel roads, with a single crossing of a paved highway.
I drove over there whenever we needed to pick up anything from her or take anything to her. Or sometimes I made up an excuse because driving was fun! It was all very accepted, and we had neighbors whose fairly young kids were driving around, too.
So, I was driving to grandma’s house and knew I was going too fast. And suddenly, as if I hadn’t driven over to Grandma’s a hundred times before, the stop sign just snuck up on me and I slammed on the brakes….and the car spun completely around in a circle on that gravel road 180 degrees and with STEEP ditches on both sides.
Rather than go plunging off the road into a ditch, or flying out onto the highway, the car stayed right on the road and when I was done sliding and spinning…I was facing the wrong direction, back the way I just came.
I sat there just shaking for long minutes. Finally, I gathered myself enough, I just drove back home the way I came and never told anyone it happened.
The second book I ever published, waaaay back in 2001, was originally titled Something More and has since been reissued as The Unexpected Bride. In the first chapter the heroine, Elthia, has traveled from Massachusetts to Texas to become a governess to a young family. The last leg of her trip takes place via stagecoach, and I open the scene when she arrives at a lonely staging post where the hero is supposed to meet her and transport her to his farm.
To my surprise, my then-agent and two friends who agreed to read and critique the story all referred to that opening scene as taking place at a train station. Puzzled, I went back and reread it. The very first sentence of the scene referenced opening the stagecoach door and there are numerous other references sprinkled throughout to the stagecoach and to working on a change of horses. It was a real head scratcher for me. The only thing I could figure was that because this was a long book (just over 100,000 words) and this was in chapter one and the only scene that referred to the stagecoach, that that ‘minor’ detail had somehow gotten lost. Which only goes to show how our minds can sometimes play tricks on us, filling in gaps with familiar images. I’d like to think that these readers of my early draft were so engrossed in the story that their minds simply replaced the stagecoach with a more familiar mode of transport, the train. 🙂
At sixteen, I lived in Dubuque, Iowa, a town known for its hills. One day I came out of school to find it had snowed a few inches. Without thinking, I drove home via my usual route. Everything was fine until I found myself on a street with a huge hill with a stop sign at the bottom. Knowing there were no other options and cursing myself for not having thought about this awful hill, I set off as slowly as possible. Of course, stopping at the stop sign was impossible, and of course there was another driver foolish enough to think he could make it up this hill. Trying to stop at the sign, my wheels locked, I swerved, and sideswiped his car. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and my dad was understanding even though the car I hit was a new dealer one driven by a car salesman.
I am a GenXer, so I don’t really remember learning to drive. I know I took a driver’s ed course, then I was expected to just know how everything worked. I remember my aunt being the first one to hand me the keys and feeling sick to my stomach at the idea of driving someone else’s car. I had no idea how to keep it in the center of the lane, nor how to hold my foot steady (I think that’s because at the time I was 4′ 6″ and no one told me you could move the seat…) We all lived and apparently the GenX method works because I’ve never had a driving incident. At least, not that I can remember…
Growing up on a farm, I learned to drive years before I could legally do so. By the time I was twelve, I’d progressed from driving the small Ford 9N tractor to being allowed to drive our farm pickup all by myself. I thought I was queen of the world, until I accidentally backed into a section of fence. No one was watching, the fence was unharmed (my dad knows how to set a sturdy fence post), and I couldn’t see any new dents or scratches in the pickup. I was home free! Except for the guilt. It ate at me for several days before I had to tell Dad what I’d done. My punishment was something tragic and dreadful — not getting to drive the pickup for one whole week!
In Idaho you could get a daylight license at 14, which meant that we had students driving to junior high. The much-coveted nighttime license came at age 16. Just a few days before my brother turned 16, I had to make an emergency trip after dark, but I’d just had dental surgery and was on painkillers. My brother offered to drive me even though he wasn’t quite legal. We passed through a very small rural town and there was a sheriff’s vehicle parked in front of a cafe. As we went by, the reds and blues came on. My brother and I desperately tried to figure out how to trade places so it appeared I was driving, but there was no way. He was toast. No night license for another six months. But the guy that approached the car wore logging clothes—Frisco jeans cut short, suspenders, logging boots. It was a logging town, but usually law enforcement wore a uniform. He checked my brother’s obviously daylight-only license, then nodded knowingly. We were about to start our garbled explanation, when to our amazement, he sent us on our way. As near as we could figure, a local good old boy was entertaining himself while the sheriff ate dinner at the café. We still talk about the time we got pulled over by a logger.
Growing up in a small town in Illinois, I was used to driving on gravel as well as dirt roads. And then, I moved to Los Angeles where I simply couldn’t drive — those freeways literally scared me silly (6-10 lanes on one side of the freeway).
Didn’t last long, though, before I was not only driving on them, but speeding along them, too. Much later, my godson — who had grown up in a rural area in South Dakota — came to visit and my role reversed; I’m afraid I scared him with my high speed on those multi-lane freeways.
But, I noticed it didn’t take him long before he was racing along those highways, too. I realized then that a learning curve could be pretty fast when there was a need.
Oh, boy, do I have a memorable event about my early driving years! Born and raised in Oklahoma, the summer I turned 17, my dad was transferred from Oklahoma to Charleston, West Virginia. Um, yes, it was very different! Oklahoma was flat, not many curves, and my husband has teased me for years that we just “wired the steering wheel straight ahead out here because we never needed to turn it.”
One day, I set out to drive to college on a very straight, non-curvy section of the interstate, and a state highway maintenance truck merged on the entrance ramp two lanes over. I thought nothing of it until…his back axle broke right in two. Half of it, with the tire still attached–and rolling along at 60 mph–barreled across two lanes of traffic and headed right for my front passenger-side tire! Yep, it stuck in the tire, but I managed to get the car off the road.
I had a very unlikely guardian angel that day. Our next-door neighbor left for work just after I did and saw it happen. He pulled over and helped me get the info I needed from the other driver, loaded me up, and took me home. I was VERY shaken, but not hurt. It scared me but it made me realize that I’d kept my wits and gotten through it!
GIVEAWAY: Today we’ll be picking 5 winners. To be entered in our random drawing, leave 
a comment about one of your driving mishaps or one you’ve enjoyed reading in a book scene or watching in a movie. One responder will receive our grand prize of a 12-month subscription to Audible. Four others will win either a drink sleeve and car coasters or the wrist purse and car coasters.
Thank you for being here to share our Sweet Sixteenth Birthday!
The Fillies
I remember only passing my drivers test the second time because I neglected to memorize the legal limit for a sobriety test. Fact: I don’t drink, so it never occurred to me that I might want to hang onto that bit of information! Once I passed the test, I promptly forgot it, so I still don’t actually know what it is!
I don’t drink either so I can totally understand how that could happen! I’m sure the only reason I knew was that my dad was a cop and would talk about legal/driving things right at the table. I’ve always found stories easier to remember than just facts. 🙂
Ami, I never imagined anyone else didn’t pass the first time. Thanks for making me not feel alone. At least your reason sounds acceptable and makes sense. Mine, goodness. When I think of how my driving test, hitting my head on the window, and all the silly mistakes I made after that, I’m so embarrassed. I’m grateful my instructor knew I could do better. Thanks for stopping by to celebrate today.
I don’t drive any more and didn’t drive much but I did get in an accident. I hit a car but it was the other car’s fault. It ran a stop sign onto a highway so I was going about 50 I think. It was a hit-and-run- because the other car fled the scene too. At least my car was still drivable as long as I didn’t go too fast. My hood wouldn’t close.
Joannie, I’m amazed you weren’t hurt if you were going 50 mph! Your guardian angel was definitely on the job. I don’t understand how people can leave the scene of an accident. What in your moral compass allows you to do that without even checking to see if the other driver is okay? I don’t know how someone lives with themselves after doing that.
Thank you for being here to help us celebrate!
So glad you weren’t hurt, Joanne! What a scary experience!
When I was 16, I was taking driver’s Ed and my mom took me to get my permit. On the way home, she pulled over to let me drive the rest of the way. I was so excited. We had a 1959 Chevy Impala, one of those big cars with huge fins on the back. I was much too confident and as I pulled into the driveway, going a little too fast, I drove right into our neighbor’s tree. My first reaction was “Daddy’s going to kill me!” He was standing in the window and watched the whole thing. We were never able to drive that car again and I never took my driver’s test until I was 18.
Elaine, thanks for being here. I think back in the day, at least when I was young, parents put us behind the wheel too soon. (My parents did the opposite and never let me drive. In fact, the only driving time I got was in driver’s ed.) They didn’t do what my husband and I did with our kids. We took them to a huge parking lot when it was empty and let them drive before we ever let them get on the roads. I’m not surprised after that first experience that you were nervous about driving. I would’ve been too.
Elaine, I understand how you must’ve felt with your dad watching which made it worse. Young drivers don’t understand how quickly a car can get away from you. Thank goodness, I never had an accident while I was learning. Thanks for coming.
Learned to drive with my fathers old work van. I don’t remember any mishaps but i do remember him watching the road intensely for cops even though we were on the back roads and hardly ever saw one and he was the one that said sit and the driver seat just don’t hit anything since that was the only way to learn how to drive to get a permit.
Your father sounds like a patient man and a good teacher. I don’t think my mother was comfortable riding in the car when I drove until I was in my thirties!
Thank you for stopping by today to help us celebrate our big day.
Anxious, it’s kinda like learning to swim and how some people think the best way to teach is to throw them in and tell them to kick their feet. That’s not the way. I’m glad I drove on a simulator at school first. That was less scary. Thanks for coming.
That’s the way my father was. When he taught us to swim it was throw us in the water and tell us we could do it. Oh by the way he and my stepmother had a brand new cadillac that we could never drive.
It was a big deal to get your driver’s license back when I was a kid and we all strived to get it as soon as we could. For a mishap, I remember my behind the wheel instructor ask I ng me what the speed limit was on a road and as I was squinting to see, he asked if I had glasses and he he made me wear them the rest of training, but I passed my license without needing to use them. It has been such an interesting shift for me to see how when I moved that the generation now and the last 10 years or so (at this location) that driving isn’t a big deal and many don’t do it until 17 or 18. It was a big deal to get as soon as legally allowed when and where I was growing up.
Very true, I have a 19 year old and a daughter who turns 17 tomorrow, neither of whom drive. The 17 year old is taking driver’s ed now though. We’re hoping she can start doing behind the wheel soon.
Katie, my second son had no interest in driving. After his junior year in high school we asked him why and he responded that since we took him everywhere he needed to go, he didn’t need to drive. I then said, “He was getting his license, because I needed him to drive.” I was tired of being a chauffeur.
katie07edgar, it isn’t just at your location that kids don’t want to drive until they’re older! I don’t get it – like you, we counted the days until we could get our permit and then our license. Granted, we lived in western Nebraska, where the streets were flat and the blocks were square. Not like the big city where we live now. But it was COOL to drive and we loved to ‘ride the one-ways’ on the weekends where we got to go a whopping 35 mph and see all our friends doing the same thing. Ha! Such good memories.
Nowadays, maybe kids just depend on their parents too much to do stuff like this (driving) for them.
Thanks for stopping by!
Katie, I find that very odd also that these young people don’t want to learn to drive. I couldn’t wait. It meant freedom! I don’t know what these young people think. Thanks for coming.
My eldest we sent to driving school at seventeen. My middle so learned from his dad and grandpa at nineteen. The eldest taught my youngest when she was twenty. I had no hand in any of it, thank goodness!
I remember learning to drive in the snow in the Appalachian Mountains. I had to take my son to a daycare that sat atop a very long, steep hill. It snows a great deal in the Boone area, and the winter temperatures are often below freezing. I would get a running start to make it up the frozen hill. If I needed to stop for some reason, I would have to back all the way down and start again. I always made it without mishap, and I learned to turn into the slide, but it was harrowing all the same.
Janice, you have nerves of steel if you learned to drive in those conditions! I bet nothing throws you if you could handle that. I thought the hills in Dubuque, Iowa, were scary. What you drove in makes those seem like ant mounds. I’m in awe.
Thanks for being here today.
Janice, that would terrify me. I hate to drive on snow and ice but thankfully, Texas doesn’t have much of that. It’s so scary to lose control of the car and the brakes won’t stop it. You must be very brave. I’m glad you came to our party!
Janice, I live in a canyon with a mile long driveway, the last 1/4 mile or so is one steep hill! I share your ability to turn into the slide if not turn into the ditch to stop the car! Which I’ve had to do on numerous occasions while going home.
I remember my uncle trying to teach me and my cousin to drive when we were about 11-12 years old. We drove his old jalopy all over the pasture and did our best to avoid the apple trees out there.
Rhonda, at that age I was such a klutz and goofball. I can’t imagine learning to drive a car. I’d have hit every apple tree, but then I’m the kind of person who can run into the only piece of furniture in a room while walking. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by to celebrate with us today!
Rhonda, good heaven’s you were young! But then farm kids all learn early because they’re needed to do some kind of work. They grow up fast. I’m glad you joined our party.
I was driving to school for senior graduation practice, when a truck passed me on a double yellow line going up a hill – well a state trooper was on the other side and pulled me over for the 70+mph ticket – he was a total jerk and demanded I get out of the car – I had rolled the window down 2 inches (as my Mom advised) and refused to leave the vehicle – he did not believe me about the truck that he obviously had to have seen and I got the ticket! Not only that but all of my classmates drove by and of course saw me getting the ticket!! It was really bad ribbing when I got to school – Mom made me pay the ticket even though I wanted to fight it! Only one I have ever received!!
Teresa, wow, does that stink and you’re right, that officer was a jerk. It makes me nervous that he made you get out of the car. That’s never safe for a woman to do. The only reason an office should make you do that is if he thought you were intoxicated. (Now they can do a breathalizer, but I don’t think they had that then.) Then to have to pay the ticket yourself and get the ribbing from classmates? Life really isn’t fair sometimes.
Thank you for being here and sharing your mishap with a stinker of an officer.
A few years ago I was with my mom in the car when we stopped at a stop sign and were rear-ended by another car. The other driver was insisting that both drivers were at fault. However, it was obvious that he was and our insurance company agreed with us. Fortunately, him and us had the same insurance company (AAA). We had the car repaired, and the other driver had to pay.
Diana, a lot of people don’t realize when you rear-end someone, it’s always your fault. Police will agree because they say it means you were following too closely. I’m glad you and your mom weren’t hurt. My brother was in a similar collision years ago, and has had serious back problems ever since.
Thank you for being here today to help us celebrate.
I got my learner’s permit at 15 and took Driver’s Ed in school, where we couldn’t drive on the actual real roads, but were bused over to a driving range. I decided I wanted to wait until I was “officially” 18 to get my real license, as the backgrounds were different. Anyway, my birthday is in June, so it’s HOT in Florida! I went to take my driving test, and even though our car had A/C, most of the time we still drove around with the windows down, and Mom and I had left the windows down while we went inside the building. The woman doing my driving test goes out to the car with me and when we’re inside and have our seat belts buckled, she says “We have to roll up the windows so that I can be sure you hear all of my instructions.” I say, “Fine, I’ll just turn on the A/C.” She then tells me that I was the FIRST person all day (and it’s sometime in the afternoon) that even offered to turn on the A/C!!! She’d been out with people all day having to sit in super hot, stuffy cars!! I told Mom I think I could have done quite a few things wrong and she wouldn’t have cared, but I didn’t! The only comment I remember making is that I could have gotten a little closer to the curb when I parallel parked, but I left with my license!!
What a sweet story, Trudy. It’s amazing what simply being kind to someone will do and how it can improve their day. Your last comment about parallel parking left me shaking. What a nightmare that is. If I have to parallel park to get into a spot, I say forget it and find another parking place.
Thank you for stopping by today to help us celebrate.
Thanks goodness for air conditioning!
can’t think of any
Thank you for stopping by to celebrate anyway!
I’m of the age where Driver’s Ed was offerred during the summer through the school corporation and was taught by teachers (male coaches). There was in class instruction and then the practice driving with two other students in the vehicle.
I remember that the vehicles provided by local auto dealerships were great purchases after the summer driving was over. I suspect that between it no longer being a deal for the dealerships and the state no longer supporting in-school driving instruction financially killed the program off.
Kate, that was my situation, too, and your comment brings back memories. We also had coaches teach, but our class was actually during the school year! (Can you imagine that now?!) We also had simulators that now remind me of video games that were to help us learn to drive. Now, those were fun.
Thank you for sharing your memories with us today.
That was how our school did it too. Now, one of the local dealerships offers “Test Drive for Your New Driver” they bring about 10 cars to the school parking lot and teens (or their parents) can take a short test drive of a new vehicle. It must work because they’ve been doing it for years.
I did the driver’s ed in the summer, too. But I’d been driving for two years by then, legally…about seven years illegally, so I was pretty good. Those town kids though, yeesh.
I had just got my license and was taking my Aunt to an appointment. I dropped her off and was going around the block. I pulled up to a stop light when I heard a big bang come out from under the hood.( I might add I was 8 months pregnant and it scared me to death)So i inched the car over to the side of the road. A police officer pulled behind me. Needless to say I got a ticket for running a red light. I thought for sure I’d loose my license but the judge was very understanding.
Oh, goodness! That must have been terrifying!
When I was learning to drive, I did it on the backroads near our cottage. When I was arriving back at our cottage, we had a hitching post like structure where we parked our cars and we also used it for bathing suits and towels if the clothes line was full. But as I was parking, I hit the gas instead of the break pedal and out car went over the end of the post. I was panicking and was scared what my dad was going to say. He did not come up to the cottage that weekend. When we got home, I made my mom go in first. She came out and said dad was just concerned that I was ok and there was no real damage to the undercarriage of the car.. I finally got my license a few years later.
Kathleen, I’m sure that scared you. It would me. I’m glad your dad was cool with it though. Thanks for coming.
I can’t stop smiling. What fun to read all these stories. This was a great idea 🙂
I passed my driving test on Friday the 13th (the last day on my permit). We had to parallel park between cones to pass. After trying to do it 1 time and failing the tester got out of the car and told me when to turn my wheel. I parked successfully. He passed me because it was my last day on the permit and my actual driving was done well (his words). I was 16.
Wow, Karijean! Friday the 13th? That’s a bad day to take a driving test. I hated learning to parallel park! Still do. I’m glad you came to join us.
Oh, gosh! Parallel parking was the bane of my existence, and back in the day when I took my test (about 1973) that was very common in the small town where I lived. I passed my drivers’ test on my first try, but I was worried sick I’d fail that part of it!
Pastor Max loved to tell the story of his son side swiping something that left the passenger side mirror torn off or mostly off (something along those lines) anyway when his dad sees the damage his son puts his arm around him and says, “In the light of eternity, what does it matter?” That was one of Pastor Max’s favorite sayings so he could hardly punish his son when he used his own words against him.
What a great dad, Naomi! He’s so right. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Thanks for dropping by for our party!
That’s a great philosophy. I wish I had had that to think about when I was growing up or raising my kids. SO TRUE. In the light of eternity, a lot of things just don’t even matter.
I tell one about my son. He didn’t have any interest in learning to drive at all I guess where we would take him anywhere he wanted to go. He was out of college before he got his drivers license and he had to take the drivers test three times before he passed. He just didn’t want to drive. The first time they failed him because he was going down hill and he was speeding before he got to the bottom so they failed him. The next time he ran a stop sign that was kind of hidden but he finally passed the last time he took the test. Maybe they felt sorry for him and passed him. He has been a very good driver ever since and has never been in an accident.
With me I never would drive anyone car and I wanted to learn to drive a stick shift, so I went and bought a new Mustang that was a four in the floor just to learn to drive. My sister had to go with me to drive the car home. I had to learn to drive it that night so I could go to work the next day. I made it to work the next morning but getting home was a different thing. I got stuck at a stop sign and couldn’t get took off again and car were all backed up behind me and I finally realized I was in second gear.
So glad your son passed that third time! And I love the story about the Mustang. I bet once you figured it out, you had a lot of fun driving it! Thanks for stopping in today!
Quilt Lady, it took me quite a while to get the hang of learning to use the stick shift. I couldn’t for the longest get a smooth takeoff. I’m glad your son finally passed. Thanks for coming.
I learned to drive a 1968 Simca that was a four speed in the floor. The way my dad taught me to ease off on the brake as I gave it gas kept everyone from getting whiplash very often. When I really got out on the road driving, I didn’t feel like I could handle the car if I went over 35 miles an hour. Lol. So different now!
What a fun car to learn to drive! It sounds like your dad gave you good lessons in how to drive. It is so different now!
Scaredsilly, I felt like I was going so fast too and it was only about thirty mph. Seemed so much faster. LOL
How fun to read everyone’s stories! Love it!
Happy 16th!
I had a car with no power steering or power brakes and it only had lap belts. I took a turn too fast and ended up in a ditch in my ’66 Chevy II. Had to climb out of it, then cross the road to the 7-Eleven to call my parents. I remember some guy asking if I was okay. Had to get towed out.
Car was fine. I guess I was fine–no one really checked.
I was about a 1/4 mile from home.
Oh, my gracious, Denise! So glad you weren’t hurt! The pickup I drove to school my senior year didn’t have power steering or brakes either. Back then you got a workout driving those vehicles.
How did we all manage to live to adulthood!!! My dad, who was WRONG, used to say everytime one of his girls had a wreck the insurance company would run a check on licenses drivers, find out he had a son newly licensed and raised his rates.
Not saying I never dinged a car but my next younger brother, man oh man, giving that kid a car was like feeding it into a sausage grinder. He spend half his teen years upside down in a ditch.
I had to take my driver’s test 3 times. I aced the written test but froze on the in-car portion. I was super nervous to be in a car alone with a strange man and to make matters worse, I had taken driver’s ed in a tiny little car but had to test in my parents’ suburban. I failed. The next day my mom had the not so brilliant idea to borrow her friend’s great big sedan, which I had never even ridden in before, let alone driven. Failed again because I couldn’t parallel park it. The third day they took pity on me and paid the $25 to borrow the driver’s ed car and I finally passed.
Christy, I’m glad you finally passed! But it’s difficult to drive a strange care. They all feel different so I understand. I’m glad you came to our party!
Hi, so happy to be a part of this.
Funny scene in a book. Couple is driving to a resort and wife sees a squirrel dart out. Her reaction is to scream. Hubs drives car off the road. They end up walking to resort and calling to get car fixed. Every time they retell the story it gets bigger and funnier.
Shayna, that would be hilarious. By the end they’d be saying they were lucky to be alive.
Thank you for being here today to celebrate with us.
These are all really fun. My gosh its a wonder any of us managed to stay alive.
For some reason, Pam’s made me laugh out loud. Your dad took the whole family to teach you to drive? LOL Seems risky.
🙂 🙂 Right??
AND nerve-wracking for you, Pam! POOR GIRL!
I got a school permit at 14…but I had two older sisters, so they got to drive to school. That school permit was the same as the regular driver’s license, so a test, written and driving. You could get a learners permit at 15 and it was a snap. Ask and they hand it over. In my 14-year-old brain, that never seemed fair. My test was HARD. Of course, I was being allowed to just fully drive and the learners permit had serious restrictions. Still, mine should have been easier…or so it seemed to me.
One Sunday night after youth fellowship, a friend and I decided to take a ride through the countryside. I had driven this road in the daytime and was going a little fast as we had to get home before our deed was ‘discovered’. I forgot about an intersection that was uneven and went airborne for several feet. Fortunately, there was no damage to the vehicle and we were able to arrive safely home without being too late.
Love this story. Airborne in a car! Wow!
I took drivers education in school and we got to drive during class. I do not recall anytime I had a bad experience, but, if my Dad were still alive, he might have a different story to tell. I do remember learning to drive our automatic Mercury and again, no mishaps. We had a mile long dirt road to take lessons on. It sure came in handy. In fact, I loved racing our go-carts down that road as fast as I could. Boy, would I love to do it again, even at 79 years old!
the experiences you ladies had are hilarious, particularly Jessie. I know this is the truth in your situation as I have read enough of your farm stories! Also, you are pretty good with a wrench.
Judy, I had an automatic Mercury, too! It was forest green, and not cool at all, but my dad bought it from a co-worker for me. Didn’t ask me if I wanted it, didn’t ask me if I liked it. Nothing. He just drove it home after work and said “Here’s your car. You owe me $600.” Which, of course, I paid happily – because I did have my own car, after all. I came around to liking it, eventually.
I loved Jessie’s story, too!!!
My youngest daughter flunked the driving portion of her school permit test, just barely turned 14 and attending a tiny one-room schoolhouse a mile from home, but high school was coming. So she didn’t know what an ’emergency stop’ was. neither did it. It involved using the flashers, so she missed that. And she was speeding past a nursing home, which she didn’t know was a nursing home, but it counted as a hospital zone or something and was CLEARLY MARKED.
So, she flunked and was just crying her HEART OUT. All during the 15-minute drive back to school. Yes, I’d taken her out of school to take the test. Well, she was NOT going to go in. She refused, she was humiliated, all the kids knew she was going for the test. Now she had to admit she’d failed. This was an embarrassment of TITANIC proportions.
So, I let her cry and cry and cry. Then when the worst torrent was easing and because we were almost back to school, I told her, “You go into that school. You tell them you flunked. You show them the ‘learners permit for a school permit’ they gave you…talk about a subcategory. And you say, “Turns out those jerks at the DMV have a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for speeding during a driving test.'”
I got a laugh out of her, a sniffly one, but she went in and survived. And she still speaks to me.
My most recent mishap was where I was trying to pull into a parking garage and because I wasn’t close enough to the button to press to get in, I adjusted my car and undid my seatbelt but was accidentally in reverse instead of park and was thrown out of the car and trying to get out of the way the car ran over my foot!
Angie,
Gracious! I hope you were okay! That sounds terrifying.
OH MY GOSH, ANGIE! Did it hurt your foot–I mean, did you end up having broken bones or anything? That would have just terrified me.
I was a late driver. I tried driving at fifteen and crashed the car into a tree, a fence, and a ditch so decided maybe driving wasn’t for me lol. But then around 20 I needed to drive my daughter to her appointments since she was born sick so I learned quickly how to drive without crashing into anything. Guess a mothers love will conquer any fears 🙂
What a beautiful story, Laura!
YAY! And congrats on Sweet Sixteen years! I’ll just name this Tobacco Sticks. That’s how I learned how to parallel park! That’s right, between two tobacco sticks. Well, I practiced everyday, but I got worse at it each day! I told my father that I was getting worse instead of better! I was in tears! He looked at my brothers and then said,”I bet you will do a perfect job tomorrow parking!” Sure enough! I aced my parallel parking! And yes, my two younger brothers had moved the sticks in each day! LOL I didn’t know until I passed my drivers test!
Oh Tracy, you made me laugh aloud. Boys! Don’t ‘ya just love ’em?
Oh, Tracy! I bet you found a thousand ways to “repay” your brothers through the years for that! LOLLOL
Wow 16!!! Congrats ladies!!!
A driving mishap… I was learning to drive and I was trying a k turn… my mom was making me nervous and I hit the curb… my mom said how can you not see the curb… my reply was that it moved… I still get teased about it today.
Gosh, Colleen, you made me laugh, too! How cute that you’re still teased about it. : )
When I took my permit test I was with my boyfriend. I said real loud – “I PASSED?” – and the guy whispered “No you missed it by one point.” He felt bad that I would be embarrassed in front of my boyfriend.
Car accidents – well I’ve had a few. But the worst one was when I was trying to answer my cell phone and it was in the back seat. While reaching for it, I hit the gas and slammed into the front of the house. I totaled the car and almost went through the walls of the house. My husband said to me, “Well, that was a good one!” I cried. He had to fix the house and that involved insurance claims, etc. Now, I just let the cell phone ring.
Happy 16th Fillies! Love you!
Kathy, I’m glad you were okay and you’re right, the phone will keep <3
I hate backing up! I had to back up to my parents door to unload things from the trunk. I must confess that I was unhappy to have to do this so I started out going a little faster than necessary. As I got closer I tapped the brake but the car almost seemed to speed up instead of slow down. So I pressed hard on the brake and slammed into the house! The worst part was that my sister was standing there waiting to help me unload. She kept backing up as I got closer until she was plastered to the side of the house. When the car struck it the wall collapsed and my sister fell through the window, cutting up her legs. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through!! So thankful that God was protecting her!
Denise,
Oh no! I’m so glad you both were okay!
Happy 16th! When I was in my early 20’s I almost had a car accident when one of my high heels got stuck in the carpet underneath the pedal. I barely managed to get unstuck and slam on the brakes. I barely missed hitting the other car. Even worse, it was one of my coworkers at the time. It was so embarrassing since she gave me a dirty look and all I could do was shrug apologetically. Needless to say, I never wore heels to drive again.
Hi Denise! I love your husband’s reaction of “Well, that was a good one.” I, too, have learned the hard way to ignore the phone when I’m in the car. : )
Good Morning and Happy Sweet 16th to Petticoats and Pistols!! When I first started driving I drove myself and one of my sisters to the store, well, I parked right in front of the store and as I pulled up to stop the car, well, instead of the break, I pressed on the gas, and Thank goodness for quick reflexes at that young age, I quickly changed my foot and pressed on the break! Which I was so very very happy that I was was able to stop it in time otherwise there would be a hole on the front of the store and the car would have gone in or something, that was just a bit too scary. :). You all have a great day. I loved reading this post. (I am not entering the ebooks or the audio codes as I am not tech savvy at all, but thank you)
Alicia, I’m so glad that you were able to stop your car. I think car mishaps are some of the scariest.
Wow, Alicia! So glad you had quick reflexes and escaped that accident! I backed into a telephone pole at a store when I was just learning to drive, and my mom was with me. I was mortified. I can only imagine almost having a much more significant accident like what you almost had!
Hi Alicia! Must admit I’ve done similar things, but like you, luckily the reaction time was fairly quick. : )
Love seeing all the comments and hearing all the stories! True confession – This perfectionist, straight A student failed her driver’s test on the first try because she failed to get into the turning lane before making a left hand turn. Sigh. But I was the one to teach all three of our kids how to parallel park and they all passed their driver’s tests, so I’m going to take credit for their success. Ha!
Hi all! I only learned to drive when I was in my 20’s. I didn’t get the chance to learn as a teen. My husband taught me to drive. I passed on my first time! The driving instructor thought my husband was my dad when we were sitting there waiting. It was funny since I’m a little older than my husband.
Kailey, I bet your husband didn’t think it was as cute/funny a story as the rest of us do. But thank goodness he was a great driving teacher.
I don’t remember any early driving mishaps, but I do remember driver’s ed. Our teacher made us do night driving and city driving-unheard of in our small rural area in the 1980s. No one minded though, because on our night driving practices he would take us to McDonalds for dinner and when we went into the nearest city for city driving he bought us doughnuts! I was luckier than most, I had to finish driving over Christmas break, so he had my driving partner and I drive him back to the city to help him pick out a Christmas gift for his wife at the mall! He even let us do a little shopping!
Julia, your driving instructor sounds nice and also smart. I imagine a lot of people in rural areas are overwhelmed the first time they drive in the city. And it’s silly to not have someone drive at night before they receive a license when driving at night is so different. Thanks for sharing your story with us and helping us celebrate.
WOW, what a GREAT driving instructor, and he sure covered all the bases with having y’all drive at night! How nice!
Happy 16th Birthday To Petticoats and Pistols! I received my learners permit at 16 I could not drive a stick shift and that’s the only kind my Dad ever drove so he decided to trade his car in for an Automatic then as years went by I learned how to drive a stick shift my only problem was I always let my clutch out too fast and it made the car jump and hop oh my those were the days Have a Blessed day
Thank you, Sarah! So glad to have you join us today. And how sweet of your dad to trade in for an automatic. Getting that clutch in a smooth transition takes some practice, doesn’t it! Have a beautiful summer!
When I was learning to drive a stick shift, something happened and we jumped the curb and landed by a tree in a residential yard. (I’m sure my mom was a basket case after that!) But what was funny, is I just backed up down the curb and we went on our way. . .The older couple who was outside doing yardwork never even noticed!
Ha! How funny that they didn’t notice. 🙂
My favorite scene from a book is where a woman was stranded on the side of the road and was digging through her purse for the pepper spray and the guy comes up beside her and asks her if she needs help. She drops her purse and the guy helps her pick it up and hands her the pepper spray asking, is this what you were looking for. He then proceeds to give her a ride to her home and she holds the pepper spray in her hands and talks to him about why she thinks he could be a serial killer. Come to find out, he is a friend of the family and is also the local vet.
Sounds like a cute story, Casandra!
So for some reason I was terrified of driving. My mom never really pushed me to try so I was content. After I had my 1st child I was like OK this is enough I need to lear. I was 21. So I was practicing and felt really confident, so I went for my first drive into town to get gas. Got the gas. I’m backing up. I hit a parked car! Worse is that it was parked at the air pump station and someone was putting air in their tire. He saw me coming thankfully and was able to stop. I was a mess and crying, I let thinking I could have killed him. He was very nice but I was traumatized and did not attempt to drive again for 4 years. Got my license at 25 at that point I had 3 kids lol ? I love it now and Hubby and I have driven across the country multiple times
Good for you for not giving up, Airam!
My father died suddenly when I was fifteen. My sister married that year and moved out of state. My mother didn’t drive, so I inherited Dad’s car. In that first year I had four accidents and only one, the smallest one, was my fault. I learned a lot that year, and haven’t had an accident since.
It’s so hard to lose a parent as a teen. I lost my own dad when I was 16. It’s one of the reason I remember that disastrous driving lesson with such fondness. Glad your experience has led to an accident free driving record since you learned, Charlene!
One time when I was learning to drive at 14 my parents asked me to move my sister’s car out of the driveway and into the yard so my siblings could play basketball or ride their bikes. I backed out onto the road and was going to drive through the ditch to park it in the yard next to the driveway, which I didn’t think would be a problem even though I’d never done that before. Well I didn’t know that you had to go at an angle and when I pulled straight into the ditch it got stuck and my dad, brother and a couple of his friends from the neighborhood had to help get my sister’s car un stuck and out of the ditch. I was so embarrassed! Another time when I was 15 and driving my dad, brother and sister to church I went to back out of the driveway and when I did I forgot to put the SUV back in drive and instead pressed the gas. We went back into the ditch on the other side of the road. Luckily I pressed on the brake in time to keep from backing into our neighbors privacy fence but needless to say I think it took everyone a while to get used to me driving lol
Those ditches are just not driver-friendly. Ha!
I turned 16 in the spring of ’87. I got my license that summer. I began driving to school. I had a few friends that I picked up, along the way. I drove a sunbird. It wasn’t very big, but it held quite a few friends for lunch. In fact, when we went to lunch, I had around 7-8 people in that car, including me. They sat double in the back. Well, I had not had much practice driving in the snow or ice, until that winter. My dad warned me not to pick anyone up. I didn’t listen to him. I had a friend that lived in an apartment complex close to school. The only problem was there was small steep hill at the entrance. I managed to get up the hill by flooring the car. As I was turning onto the street and had the pedal to the metal, the car continue to turn, once we crested the drive and entered the street. My car did a complete 180 (heading in the opposite direction of my turn) and ended up going to school using a different route than I had planned.
Oh, my! My husband and I did a 360 on some ice on the way home from a Thanksgiving visit to my parents when we were newlyweds. Ice is crazy stuff! So glad you and your friend were fine. 🙂
Happy 16th!! I don’t have any particularly note-worthy driving mishaps personally other than backing up into our neighbor’s car which was parked directly behind our driveway. Terrible place to park!!
BUT the first movie scene I thought of was from the 1972 movie, What’s Up, Doc?, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal! It was hysterical! I read on IMDb that the final chase scene (filmed in San Francisco) cost $1 million to shoot, which was 1/4 of the total budget and took 19 days to shoot resulting in 11 minutes of screen time!
Cool trivia, Cyndi! I backed into my mom’s parked car one time. It was slanted in the driveway where I was pulling out of the garage. I was in a hurry to get to a high school event and didn’t look as well as I should have. I just expected the driveway to be empty. That was a tearful morning. But Mom just shooed me on and told me not to worry about it. I’ll never forget her kindness and forgiveness that day.
I couldn’t wait to get my license at 16. When my family went on long trips, I wanted to do most of the driving.
I love that you got to help drive on family trips. That was my dad’s domain. I don’t think I even remember my mom driving. Of course, I much preferred reading in the backseat to driving, so I didn’t mind. 🙂
On my first day of driver’s Ed. I couldn’t even drive straight in the parking lot. Then he took me out on the road and I drove through some front yards. Two lessons later and I was diving on a six lane highway into downtown Indianapolis.
Wow, Wilani. Good thing you are a fast learner! 🙂
Haha, my story seems very fitting. I was listening to the audiobook series of Left Behind while driving, and there was a highspeed chase going on, while I was in a 20 mph zone … Needless to say I had to force myself to do the speed limit.?
Ha! I can see how that would be a challenge, for sure. 🙂
Happy sweet 16th, ladies!!
I had to take my written and driver test 3 times in 3 different places.
Once in the country I was born, and twice in two different states since we had to move, and none of them recognized the other tests I pre taken, all though I had been driving for a while. Do you think that would qualify me as an expert test taker??
Spoiler alert I passed all the test. ?
Moral of the story: Don’t move!
Ema, I love your sense of humor, and yes, your experience makes you an expert driving test taker. Thank you for sharing your story and your advice about moving!
One of the most memorable driving moments in a book was from a Cozi mystery series. I listen to an audio. She was in a drivers Ed van, and the killer tried to sabotage the vehicle.The van went flying off a hill into a bush or tree. It all seem very unlikely, but it was also very memorable.
April, thanks for sharing that scene. After reading some of the stories today, landing in the bush or tree isn’t likely but hopefully someone sabotaging a driver’s ed vehicle is. Thanks for stopping by today.
Well, I’ll fess up. I had to teach myself how to drive! I didn’t learn until I was twenty/twenty-one. I drove an old truck on the sandy roads that bordered alfalfa fields. Then practiced on frontage roads (this was all in California when I was first married) My dad was raised old school European. He taught our brother how to drive, but we girls? It was up to our husbands to teach us! Anyhoo, I taught myself, drove myself to my driver’s test, and passed with flying colors. Whew!
Wow, Kit! Good for you teaching yourself and doing so well on the test!
It took me three tries to get my driver’s license. 🙂 I didn’t get it until I turned 18.
Jodie, don’t feel bad. It took me two and I bet you didn’t bang your head against the driver door window in front of two other students like I did.
Thanks for being here to help us celebrate.
Wow! These were some fascinating stories. I remember when my hubby was teaching me to drive a stick shift. I almost hit my parents car. He was yelling “hit the brake ‘ and I was yelling “I have it all the way to the floor”! He grabbed the emergency brake just in time. I had the clutch all the way to the floor.
Barbara, that had to be scary. Can you imagine explaining that to your parents and how upset they’d be with your hubby? I hope he had the brakes checked after that. Thanks for being here and sharing your cute mishap.
I was counting down the days to my sixteenth birthday to take my drivers test. That morning it was raining I was so upset knowing they wouldn’t do the test in the rain. Thankfully by the afternoon it was clear and my dad took me to take the test and I passed.
He then told me to take him to pick up his car at the shop and drive home by myself. Love how much he believed in me ?
Mary Beth, what a special memory of your dad. How wonderful that he showed you how much faith he had in your driving ability.
We didn’t have drivers ed but I took lessons from a school. There was no problem with the test and the driving. I learned on a convertible classic Pontiac which was a dream car to drive. I was not in a rush too learn and was 18. Many others learned at 16.
Ellie, how cool to learn to drive in a convertible. Unlike you, I couldn’t wait to drive. My parents were always too tired at night to take me anywhere. I had to rely on friends picking me up and they weren’t always reliable.
Thank you for being here to help us celebrate today.
Not too long after getting my driver’s license at 16, I also got a part time job in the evening. I was driving to it after picking up another girl that worked there, when going around a curve I discovered I didn’t have any brakes. Luckily there was a drive way going slightly up a hill that I turned into quickly, I was only going about 35 in a town zone. I coasted to a stop and then slammed down the emergency brake. I walked back down the hill to a service station and called home, (no cell phones then.) Dad had to pick me up and take us on to work and then a neighbor helped him tow the car back home. Brakes were fixed the next day.
Connie, I am so impressed that you held it together enough to think of a solution. Not many 16 year olds would. I don’t think I would’ve thought of that. Thank you for sharing your story.
I took drivers ed at 16 and enjoyed the freedom and the feel of driving on my own. The movie which was hilarious was the antics of the Griswolds vacation and how the car was driven by the father. Loved the car race in Back to the Future with Biff.
Ruth, you’re so right. The driving scenes in those movies were great. Thanks for being here to help us celebrate.
When I was 14 or 15 my brother took me out to an old quarry to show me how to drive and get some practice in too. It was in my dad’s pickup and when I first started out it was OK. Then somehow I pushed too hard on the gas and swerved too much ending up in a ditch. We were ok but the truck had a little dent in the front of it. It took me a bit after that incident to want to drive again.
Wow, after ending up in a ditch, I’m amazed the only damage was a sent to the truck. I can’t believe you and your brother weren’t hurt. I’m not surprised it took a while for you to want to try driving again.
I actually passed the test the first time but was bummed I couldn’t get my license on my 16th birthday because it fell on a Sunday. I think I had to wait until the next Saturday before my parents could take me to the DMV.
I bet it was hard to wait to get your license. What a terrible year to have a weekend birthday!
I remember shortly after I got my driver’s license, I was going to community college and my dad let me borrow his new (used) car. It was one of the nicest ones he’d ever bought and my car was getting fixed by Grandpa, which is why he let me drive his. It was raining heavily and on the route to school, a vehicle two cars in front was turning left in the left lane. I couldn’t see the turn signal on the turning vehicle, didn’t realize I was seeing brake lights (everyone had their lights on because of the overcast sky and pouring rain), and the moving water on the road all made for a terrible combo for an inexperienced sixteen year old driver. I realized too late for conditions that I needed to be braking, started braking but had little traction with the wet pavement, and rear ended the minivan in front of me. The whole front of my dad’s car was mashed up. The car wouldn’t start and was blocking two lanes. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, and eventually, my dad came to pick me up after someone called him for me. He asked if I wanted to go home or still try to catch the last bit of my classes. I told him, “I don’t want to miss class, so please bring me still.” He did and my teacher was going to give me a hard time for being so late until he learned the reason for it (I think he was surprised I even came!).
Oh my goodness – what an experience!! I don’t think at age 16 I would have been a basket case and not been able to focus on anything my teacher was saying after such an incident
My dad thought the perfect place to give me my very first driving lesson was our local cemetery. It was a large cemetery, and there were rarely any other cars there. I was doing fine until my dad told me to turn left on a road that curved to the left anyway. Somehow, I managed to lose power of steering and brakes, and I couldn’t turn the car left or stop, so the car continued straight and died…right over a tombstone. Yes, my first driving lesson involved driving over a tombstone. Luckily it was the low, flat kind, and I didn’t actually hit it, just drove over it. That was my last cemetery driving lesson, but my dad joked about it for years!
Oh, my gracious, Debbie! That was some lesson!
Busy day of Red Cross calls and planning. We are under a tornado warning now as well as flood warnings. Tomorrow should be interesting.
When we lived in Colorado Springs, we got a used station wagon. Buick provided cars for the Olympic Center and after a year replaced them and sold them. I started having issues with the car dying while I was driving. It usually started back up, but in the meantime you had no brakes or power steering.. I mad an appointment to have it fixed. There was a long steep hill with a T intersection and stop light at the bottom on the way to the dealership. The car died halfway down the hill. I pulled on the emergency brake which finally stopped the car and I was able to restart it. I am glad it worked because the brake handle came off in my hand. I later found out the car had been used by the wrestling team.
Thinking of you and hoping all is well with the warnings coming in!
And the car used by the wrestling team! I bet it had a lot of use and abuse before you got it. So glad you were able to stop it on that hill!
The car was in really good shape with no signs of wear. I guess whoever used the parking brake didn’t realize their own strength. It must have been loosened up. I certainly didn’t have the strength to pull it out under normal use.
I remember the first time I was allowed to head into town by myself to pick up the month’s supplies. I took the family wagon and everything was going great until we reached this curve with a long drop off. Suddenly, the horses broke free and continued on towards town and I and the wagon continued towards that drop off. As I got closer and closer I could hear the sound of hoof beats coming from behind me and suddenly this cowboy swooped in close and snagged me around the waist and pulled me up in front of him just in the nick of time time as that wagon flew over the edge and crashed to the valley below. We rode a safe distance away and he climbed off and helped me off too. Then he held me close as I was still shaking and in tears. I finally calmed enough to look up and see that it was my older brother Hank. He told me that the ranch hand they’d let go earlier in the day was responsible. Unfortunately, he ran off and hasn’t been seen since. ?????
(Now, raise your hand if you believe this is a true story. Shanna Hatfield can probably answer that question. ?
A nice little story, Victoria! So fun!
Yay, happy sweet 16 P&P! Back when I was learning to drive, my dad coached me to run the pedals like my left leg was hanging out the window. It made me laugh later thinking back on it, but I was so seriously trying to absorb everything he said…I must’ve looked hilarious!
Oh, how fun (and funny) his advice must have been! Sounds like he gave you some great driving lessons!
I remember driving with my permit at age 15 with my dad beside me and my mom and sister in the backseat one evening. I was to drop off my mom and sister in front of Pizza Hut. For some reason I decide to not use the brake before shifting into Park! Oops!! My Grandma, a DRIVER’S EXAMINER, was walking up to the restaurant entrance just as I did this! She just dropped her head for a quick moment. It was a cringe-worthy moment. I’ll never forget that look she tried to hide! Lol!