Drive While You Still Can
The temperature nudged into the 90s that afternoon, but I had the windows down because I wanted to feel, and smell, the outside air after 30 days in three hospitals. (Of course I also had the air conditioning on: I did not descend from pioneer people.)
Before that I had the memory of a nighttime ambulance ride to the emergency room as my most recent road trip, helmed by a plump pair of excessively jolly paramedics, one driving, one just looking out the window. I suspect they were pleased to have a Friday night passenger who wasn’t actively bleeding or spitting up. The driver swerved to avoid a dog, or so he said: I was strapped down, studying the beige ambulance ceiling, so I couldn’t see any stray dog, but I suspect he was checking messages on his cell phone. (The driver, not the dog. Or maybe both.)
Only twice since I got my learner’s permit at age 15 had I spent any extended time not driving—both were the result of hospital stays. The first was eight days, caused by a rodeo bull who was not satisfied to just buck me off after two seconds, but kicked me behind my right knee, hard. The second was 13 days, due to a bleeding ulcer, the origins of which were never determined, which also briefly shut down my liver. It went away as quickly and mysteriously as it came.
Thirty days, though—plus a few sick days at home before that ambulance ride—and I figure it was a solid 34 days of no driving, a long time for someone who does it for a living, for entertainment, for relaxation. I think I was 17 when my father, for whom climbing in his car was viewed as a task, said, “I thought you would get all this driving out of your system by now.” I did not. Have not. Probably won’t.
My first drive back was in a lovely emerald Isle of Man Green 2024 BMW X6 M60i, price almost $112,000. I almost felt overserved: It did not have to be in such an overqualified vehicle—a Yugo would have done. OK, not a Yugo, but maybe a Hyundai Accent. Anything that moves under its own power but isn’t a Yugo.
And the BMW moved, with 523 horsepower from the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V-8, and a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds, per BMW. I got 3.8 seconds after I got comfortable in the big SUV. It will go 177 mph, but I didn’t get nearly that comfortable.
It lacked nothing. I drove everywhere, and nowhere. Maybe 150 miles. The last 50, I was driving on regained instinct. It took longer than I thought.
I—we—need to drive every day we can. It is a privilege granted not by the state, but by He or She who grants all privileges, and it can be taken away so quickly. Mine almost was.
The last word goes to late journalist Brock Yates, my mentor, friend, and eventually employee at Car and Driver. Several of us were in my office, grousing about flights to press events.
“Will I get upgraded to first?”
“Will I get miles?”
“Don’t they have a later flight?”
“They don’t serve my brand of beer.”
What do you think, Brock?
“I think we work for Car and Driver, and you ought to consider driving,” he said.
Later that day he piled into a long-term press car—it may have been the five-speed manual, un-airconditioned Jeep Wrangler four-cylinder—for a 350-mile drive from Ann Arbor, Michigan, home to Wyoming, New York.
Consider driving. Such good advice.
I’m probably in my last 10-15 years of driving, so I just bought my 5th Porsche, a 2013 Boxster 981S 6-speed. My father was driving well into his 90s, albeit poorly. We both had a 2002 car—his car was a Buick, purchased new, and was loaded with dents and scrapes, even though it had less the half the mileage of my pristine 2002 Boxster 986s 6-speed. I will drive as long as I can do so safely!
Not being able to be behind the wheel, or handle bars of our beloved soul saving mechanical beasts puts things in perspective in a hurry.
I was struck by a car while in a crosswalk alittle over a year ago and due to the concussion had my driving privileges taken away for months.
I have a ’74 Charger that I’ve had for forty years, a Yamaha Raider 113ci, a Suzuki Savage and a Jeep Wrangler. All of which sat in the garage for the entire summer, the bikes longer, because of the accident.
I felt like my lifeline, part of my identity, I drove big trucks for years and definitely my freedom had been taken from me.
I had my Charger to one local car show this year, my Jeep is out when I have appointments but my bikes still sit in the garage because my brain isn’t well enough to manage everything involved in riding safely.
Never take for granted our privilege of driving, it can be taken away in an instant.
Speedy recovery, Jacqueline!🙏
When I returned from a tour in Iraq, I had 2 weeks of leave(vacation) prior to returning to work. I hadnt driven for a year, so i needed to reacquaint myself with driving. I drove every day, with no particular set route or destination. I drove 2900 miles in 13 days. I drove my daily (SRT Charger) and my collector (Barracuda) EVERYWHERE. It was glorious!
Driving is a privilege, but not always a pleasant one, as anyone whose spent more than a day driving an ’03 Impala LS or ’75 Pacer might attest. But as I tell my kids, there are basically three kinds of positive experiences: fun ones, rewarding ones, and the far-too-rare both. Hopefully most of your drives turn out to be one of those and we can be thankful for that.
I refer to them as therapy drives. 20 – 30 min behind the wheel fixes all ills.
I experienced this. I was medically ineligible to drive for about 8 months in 1993-1994. I was driving racecars, instructing at track days, and roadtripping all over the country before that. This Autoweek article came out shortly after I was back to normal and helped me explain it to others. Drive while you can indeed!
https://rememberroad.com/uncategorized/trouble-afoot-epilepsy/
Wife to me – “I don’t want to sit here. Let’s go burn some gas.”
Good woman.
I agree with the idea of driving as a privilege, but around here there’s so much traffic and so much deliberate slowing of cars it’s difficult to drive for pleasure. But, then I discovered 250cc motor scooters. Most Americans have no idea how much pleasure there is in riding something that’s fast enough to get ahead of traffic, very quick and easy to maneuver, lets you park all over the place and, at least in California, lets you slip between cars and wend your way through almost anything. And it’s entirely legal to operate it on freeways, too. Even a short trip to Trader Joe’s can be a joy.
Same concept with a Japanese Kei class vehicle. Every trip an adventure.
Cross country trip with my wife in a MINI Cooper S , from North Carolina to Los Angles & back. Just pointed the car west and took off with no particular destination planned to visit. Drove the whole trip, 7551 miles & would do it again tomorrow!!
That was me recently. After a forty year run of disgustingly good health, I was rewarded with an ambulance ride and a hospital stay. Many new and unpleasant experiences, not the least of which was being told that they wouldn’t release me without someone there to drive me home. I’m not sure, but I don’t think that in almost 6 years of ownership that I’d ever actually sat in my BMW’s passenger seat. Believe me, I was right on time for my post op checkup that restored my ability to drive
Can’t wait for my next 8 hour road trip down the West Virginia Turnpike to VIR with my new to me 2019 Mustang GT with the performance pack. To drive is to live, all the rest is waiting.