They found a mini-blind that killed 14 kids and they recalled them. They found that Firestone tires killed over 100 people and they recalled them. But, every single day people are killed by reckless drivers. Where is the outrage from the public? Why don’t people demand that they “recall” the drivers license of some of these people?

From time to time there is a little outrage from the victims and their families, but not much from the general public or the media. So many people out there would rather save money or a few seconds time, even if it means that someone else gets hurt. It reminds me of an old saying - you have to step on some toes to succeed. It’s sad that so many people actually believe that.

Sometimes people are in a hurry to go nowhere, especially in big cities. People accelerate toward red lights and cut each other off only to get to the red light first! And they tailgate as though they really believe that if they get another foot closer to the car in front of them they will get to their destination sooner! This many people can’t possibly be that stupid. I have more faith in mankind to accept that. I believe that the reason so many people are causing traffic jams and road rage is simply because they don’t know that they are. Everybody they know drives the same way. And everybody learned how to drive when they were a teenager.

The fact is, you are still learning. You can’t possibly learn everything about driving. There is simply too much information. For example, can you drive a low-boy around the block in San Francisco, with an eighty thousand pound backhoe on it, in reverse, during rush-hour traffic? Somebody can. Can you back a semi-dump truck up a hill of soft dirt and dump a load that is all on one side of the trailer? Somebody can. Can you drive a motorcycle on a tight-wire with a chair on your head, with someone sitting in it? Somebody can. Can you drive a unicycle uphill in sand? Someone can. Can you do all of the above? I don’t know if anybody can do all that.

With that in mind, I think it’s pretty obvious that nobody knows everything about driving. There was a time when all you needed to know was which pedal is the clutch. But those were the days when there was much less traffic and everybody didn’t own a car. These days, driving is much more complicated. We have to know things like what causes traffic jams and what causes road rage. And, for that matter, what is road rage? With all of today's DOT regulations, its ridiculous the amount of information that is required to simply drive. We have to learn to be patient, because it always takes longer to get somewhere than we originally thought, usually because of the traffic. We can’t make all these cars go away, so we have to learn to share the road with them. There is so much to learn, that I simply cannot list it all. After all, I don’t even know everything, because I have only been driving since 1976.

Ever since my son got hit by an aggressive driver who was just going to the store two miles away (he suffered a serious head injury, including brain damage, when he was only thirteen years old), I have been trying to tell people to take it easy on the road. There’s no sensible reason to hurry when you are going through a congested area. If you do the math, you will see that slowing down 5 or 10 mph will only cost you a few seconds.

Most truck drivers that I know already know this because they do the math all the time. But, the people I know that are not truck drivers, do not. They will jump in their car and speed to the grocery store - one mile away - as if it matters. If you know someone who drives like that, please tell them to be careful and that it is not worth the risk. With that said, let's look at some of the risks.

Anything in life that you do has a certain amount of risk involved. Most business people would agree that without risk there can be no major achievement. Some people are more willing than others to take these risks. While many people can go through life taking chances every day, others protect themselves and take no unnecessary chances at all. I think it can be generally said that younger people take more chances or risks than older people. I think we get more cautious as we get older and, in fact, that is how we can be lucky enough to live to be old one day. After all, if you keep risking your life on a daily basis one of those times you won't be so lucky. So let’s learn a lesson from our elders and try to eliminate some of these unnecessary risks.

If you tied your shoestrings together and walked across a highway in New York City, you would probably have about an 80% chance of getting hit by a car or truck. Likewise, if you tailgate everywhere you go, it is only a matter of time before you rear-end someone. But, if you drive around constantly thinking of everything that can possibly happen, and what you would do if it does, and constantly think of safety, you can minimize these risks. With a little practice and patience, maybe one day you'll be able to say, “I haven’t had an accident for over twenty years.”

We all have a lot to learn. Please be careful out there because, at this time, the DMV is not "recalling" enough drivers out there. Be sure to visit www.bigcitydriver.com. Thanks for listening.