We all have little quirks or habits that we do from our day-to-day lives, such as how we eat or how we study. But, we all have extremely different driving habits that we try to reflect onto others or refrain others from doing.

I don’t know about you guys, but my parents lecture me to not text and drive because of how dangerous it is. However, I’ve been in the car while they have been texting and driving; I’ve even been in the car while my dad was checking his Clash of Clans app behind the wheel. We’ve all seen the AT&T commercials of the people holding the cards of their last text to someone who was driving and died, and also the Glee episode where Quinn gets hit by the truck while she was texting and driving (which was actually the first time I swore in front of my mother; that did not go down very well). It’s sad though. We have to use death and life altering injuries as a warning to not text and drive, yet we all still do it, I even do it. I don’t think it’s something that we mean to do either. It’s a regular habit to check your phone when it rings, and I think people don’t even hesitate that habit while driving (because I know I don’t). It’s an issue that needs to be fixed, but we live in a culture that makes it hard for us to do that.

I remember sitting in driver’s ed on the first day of instruction. All the parents lined the room and were asked to say one bad driving habit they had. I remember some of them: talking on the phone and eating, but one that really stood out to me is that a parent said reading. READING?? Reading a book while driving, I didn’t think that was humanly possible. The idea of constantly having to switch from driving to reading a paragraph or even a sentence is mind-blowing. At that point reading isn’t even fun - it’s a dangerous chore. I get it when you don’t want to put a book down, but to be fully enthralled with a book you have to have no outside distractions, and driving is a pretty large distraction.

I have a very specific driving habit that I have been called out on multiple times (and no, it’s not my tailgating). I like to file my nails while I drive. I only do it at stoplights or in heavy traffic because it’s just something to do rather than act on my road rage or check my phone. It’s more of a calming habit for myself, like when people chew gum when they are stressed out. Since I only do it when my car is stopped too, I’d like to think it’s not that risky or unsafe for other drivers. If I was doing my nails going 70 down the freeway, I’d be a little more frightened of myself as a driver.

Even if it’s not an action, people still have little quirks like playing the same song or playlist when they first get into the car (most of the time I listen to the same song on repeat and belt it). Driving is something we all do differently, and if you’ve driven in Seattle you know what I mean, and it’s really interesting to see what people do and what they learned before getting behind the wheel for the first time. Next time you’re driving with your friend or parents, look to see what they do! (Hopefully it’s safe though!).