A few months back I got a ticket for sailing down the mountain from Lake Arrowhead, singing at the top of my lungs, oblivious that I was speeding. The phenomenon is called “velocitization.” Deveyesh Mistry writes in the blog Tips for Driving:
Wondering what Velocitization is? It’s the basic feeling you get when driving at a high speed for a long time (a few minutes or more) and the speed no longer feels fast. Initially when moving from a speed of 50 km/h to 100 km/h you may feel like you are traveling very fast. But once you are at the stable speed for a few minutes that 100 km/h no longer feels fast – this is considered Velocitization. It can happen at any speed and can be harmful when cornering if you don’t take your speed into consideration. Sometimes you may feel like you can take the corner fine but don’t actually realize your speed. Always note the posted limits and your current speed.
Today, I am doing my at-home traffic school penance. (We Californians get a “point” if we get a ticket, and that point usually makes our insurance go up. We can get rid of that point by attending traffic school, or doing one at home, which I am doing today). I’m spending the day reading the lessons on Anytime Traffic School.com and found that some of the driving instructions transcend themselves:
You should follow the tracks of the car ahead of you when it is raining or snowing. Vehicles ahead of you have made grooves in the road, making that part of the road safer.
Implying: Respect your elders––they have more experience and more insurance
Increase your space cushion so that you can have more space to stop or maneuver your vehicle out of a potential hazardous situation.
Implying: Embrace the Buddhist state of non-attachment. Every man in as an island. Always be en garde.
Never brake suddenly, steer suddenly, shift gears suddenly, or speed up suddenly. You need time to slow down, to steer your vehicle, to slow down. etc. Otherwise, you risk getting hit by another vehicle or losing complete control of your vehicle.
Implying: Don’t rock the boat––rock the casbah. Be predictable. Take your time. Let the river flow, you can’t push it. Believe in karma and carma.
In reality, I’m wasting time because this online class and the law says I have to be studying this stuff for a period of time. It won’t let me take the chapter test until I’ve spent enough time really reading this stuff. Alright already, I’ve read it 3 times already let me take the damn test!
Aha! Now it will let me. Only one chapter left. Sigh….
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