Traffic School & Defensive Driving

A glance at the dashboard clock frustrated Mike even further. He was already on track to be 10 minutes late, and the boss had been a real stickler lately. Maybe if I take a shortcut I can shave off a few minutes, Mike thought – unfortunately, reminding him of something else he'd forgotten, which set him to swearing aloud. Mike took his eyes off the road and began fumbling in his briefcase for his electric shaver.

When he looked up again, Mike had to slam on his brakes to avoid bumping into his neighbor Karen's car. Karen was stopped behind a loading school bus with flashing warning lights, and Mike could see her tapping her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. He felt the same way – so when Karen looked for a chance and slipped around the bus, Mike did the same even though the bus had not turned its lights off. The stop sign at the corner may as well have been invisible, as Mike rolled right through the intersection without stopping, barely noticing what was right in front of his face.

He quickly hit his brakes again when Ryan's friend Jen walked out in front of him, headed for the bus. He waved an apology to the girl, but hurried on, not really meaning it. Those kids should watch where they're going, he thought. I shouldn't have to look behind every car sitting on the street. At that moment, he wasn't thinking about Ryan's sister, Sarah, who was "Daddy's girl" but sometimes forgot her own safety and did things much like what Jen had just done. Mike’s impatience and hurry-up attitude while behind the wheel is leading to trouble.