Drive safely

The transition has not been perfect and understandably so, but it is still a lot better than Trump's first 100 days in or out of office. If there is any evidence to support that fact, it is the rate of our children's accelerated integration into an otherwise complex system. We undoubtedly did not think it was going to be easy; nothing good comes easy in life, but, we apparently were not not prepared to be shaken by everyday experiences.

In a land where there are more guns than people; and the blunt division among the people is becoming sharper by hidden deep seated animosity against them and us, settling down can be unsettling even in minute matters.

Here's my driving experience: I started driving from the womb, if you are in doubt ask my mum. She said my pregnancy drove her restless- had me late. Why? Ask my dad. But that will be rather too late now because they are both late. Anyway, prior to my relocation to the USA, I have had over two decades of sensational driving experience at home. Never hit anyone but had been hit by all manners of scraps on wheels. Nothing serious though, lost few side mirrors to okada and trafficator to marwa. If you can drive in Lagos, the maxim is that you will drive anywhere. Wrong.

Again, processes took over expediency in my first attempt at securing a valid USA driver licence. Needless, to say that comes after a painstaking procedures of ascertaining your mental condition and drug abuse compatibility. You're expected to pass a computer based driving tests by answering series of questions in a conditioned environment within a particular time. If you pass the aforementioned, you are then scheduled for a practical road test.

The road test is two way- one conducted in the safe driving course of the motor vehicle administration popularly known by it's acronym MVA. Here, you're expected to do some manoeuvring and basic driving coordination and its only after this that you will be unleashed on the public road.

My first attempt ended as abruptly as I started with the instructor terming my handling of the steering wheel as “too aggressive”. I have just failed. Racism! I complained heavily to my Nigerian host. He said the steering wheel is designed to be held with two hands and not one hand on the steering and the other hand dangling out of the window! Lesson learnt.

I read more and studied the usage of both hands for my second attempt: Again, a white instructor. I held my breath and the steering wheel. With concentration I survived the closed course driving course and moved to the road. I had a 300 horsepower, V6 engine and I felt both man and machine must be tested to be in sync with the tempting road. Good road is a luxury where I came from. I wanted to ‘enjoy’the road.

In a less than just two minutes on the road, she asked me to pull over and hand over the car keys. Haba! She said I was endangering our life and life of others with my driving “skills”. I grudgingly complied as she drove back to the MVA. Dissapointment, despair replaced our usual hearty banters as my host drove me back home.

This was becoming embarrassing- a mere driving test for somebody that came from Nigeria imbued with Lagos sense! So, the next driving test was successful as I purged myself of invectiveness, rage and home made “skills” during the test.

I mused at how perennially folks at home drive each other crazy with road rage, aggression, ignorance of road signs, road ethics and simple discipline and wonder how far this backward lifestyle will take us.