How Being A Passenger Helps Reset Empathy On The Road 

What are you doing?!? Do you even know how to drive?!? MOVE!!! Those are some of things you might have yelled out while you were driving this week. We get irritated when we can’t get from point A to point B in the time we think we should get there. As I am teaching my oldest to drive and she is now on the road I have realized how much empathy has been lost on the road. Now that I am a passenger to a new driver I realized how I need to reset empathy when I am the one driving. 

Why It Is Important To Reset Empathy On The Road 

I am disappointed in myself that it took teaching my daughter to realize that driving is not all about me. No, I am not driving fast or passing people at my leisure crossing solid yellow lines. I forgot some of the lessons I learned when I first started to drive. My driving instructor told me and my fellow classmates that driving is a privilege. We must treat it that way and respect everyone on the road every time we get in a car. From pedestrians to people on bikes to school busses to new drivers we need to treat everyone the same way we want to be treated. For parents, it is a great reminder to be a role model for your kids on how to be a good driver. 

Drive A Mile In Someone Else’s Car 

This could be a new mantra that you can adopt even without having a new driver in your family.  Think about how you felt when driving a rental car or going for a test drive. The basics of driving are still the same, but each make and model are different. Your confidence in a new car is not to the level it is in the car you drive. That is how new drivers feel when they get on the road. So to those who are quick to honk at a new driver. To those who go from 0 to 60 when it comes to road rage, just remember that there are some people on the road who need some extra care. You can also practice this mantra in other places besides the roads you drive on.