The Driving Challenge: Dare to Be Safer and Happier on the Road. Phil Berardelli

situation that terrified me into reforming. It wasn’t so dramatic. I simply and painfully became confronted with a strong sense of my own foolishness. At that moment I realized my opponent and I were endangering everyone around us for no good reason. Worse, we were depending on the consistency and predictability of the very people we were endangering. If anyone nearby had made a sudden, unexpected stop or move, there was no way either of us could have avoided a collision.

      For once, my sense of overconfidence evaporated. At last I grasped that I was traveling too fast to react, within a convoy of dense traffic, along a stretch of road with narrow shoulders, atop wet pavement. The other driver and I had created a situation that left no room for error. The slightest mistake could have resulted in a terrible crash that would have been both our faults and—assuming we survived—haunted us for the rest of our lives.

      Maybe it was an epiphany, because it caused me to do something rare up to that point: I eased back on the gas pedal, dropped my speed, and slipped into the general traffic flow. The Firebird quickly disappeared ahead. Game over.

      The remainder of the trip, back to my home in Northern Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., I stayed under the speed limit. I also kept thinking about what had occurred. It really troubled me. I felt ashamed of myself. I’m a nice guy, I thought. I wouldn’t try to harm anyone deliberately. What’s wrong with me? What was so important about staying ahead of that other driver, and why did I push myself so close to the edge? How could I possibly have lived with myself if I had caused an injury or death?

      My search for answers was the start of my conversion. I began to understand that I couldn’t tolerate such immature behavior in myself any longer. I had escaped the worst, but only by sheer good fortune. Now it would be up to me to stay out of trouble. So I resolved to avoid doing such stupid things again.

      On the whole, I’ve kept that promise to myself. I’ve come to realize that being smart about driving is a lot better than being lucky. I’ve also spent a great deal of time observing—and thinking and writing about—the ways we behave behind the wheel. The process has allowed me to develop a different style of driving, one I am convinced can keep everyone safer on the road.

      Now for the disclosure:

      I have selfish reasons for writing this book. I worry about my loved ones and friends when they’re out on the highways. I worry about their safety all the time, because our highways are harsh and dangerous places. I figure if there’s anything I can do to make things safer for everyone, then I can help protect the people I care most about. And if I can persuade you to think the same way, then maybe fewer people will have to suffer the tragedies that infect our highways so thoroughly.

      As you read further, keep that possibility in mind.