transport

I used to get upset when I would wait at a crosswalk and a large truck would pass, because I thought it would block my view of the signal that told me to cross. It took me about two years to realize that this would never happen, because I wasn't going to be allowed to walk in front of moving vehicles.

I used to believe…

When I was little I used to beleive that whenever someone went to the toilet in an aeroplane, the flight attendants would push a button that opened where the poo went and it would go down onto earth.

I used to believe that a smog test was when you drove your car up a very tall, foggy mountain until you couldn't see anything but fog. Then you drove it off the side and crashed to the ground. Afterward, if your car still ran, then your car had passed the smog test.

I used to believe…

When I was just learning to read and riding in the back of my parents car, I would get so nervous when we'd pass the signs reading "Picnic Area Ahead". I read it as "PANIC Area Ahead"! I thought that was where you were supposed to pull off if you were in a panic out about something!

I used to believe…

When I was little, someone told me that you could tell when a plane was about to crash because the engine would grow louder and louder as the plane lost altitude. So whenever I would hear a low flying plane, I would race outside expecting to hear an explosion or see the plane hurtling to the ground nearby. To my relief, that never happened.

I used to believe that drinking and driving was when you drank any beverage like water and soda while you drove. I found out that wasn't the case when I saw my dad drinking a soda from Chick-Fil-A when we were going home and I shouted, "Dad, you are drinking and driving!

I used to believe…

When I was little, I used to think that there were little tiny men that lived in traffic lights that turned them red, yellow, and green. I thought they would watch outside to see if cars where there so the lights would change!

I used too look out the car window and read the words "objects in mirror are close than they appear" (because the e got scratched off of closer) so I asked my mom to close the objects in the mirror so they could appear

I used to believe…

When I was younger, I used to think Highway signs that said like: "San Fransisco" and then a lane, would mean that as soon as you got in that lane you were in that city. I used to think the world was so small...

I always wondered what "sheerwait" was. As it seemed to cause so many delays when the travel news came on I figured it must be pretty bad! It wasn't until I was about 19 that it suddenly clicked they were saying "sheer weight of traffic".

I used to wonder what kind of car a PRNDL was. The stick shift on my dad's old Rambler read PRNDL, and it wasn't until I was older that I understood the markings to stand for Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Low.

I used to believe…

When i was young I always thought that the cheaper gas was the faster you ran out of gas.
I also thought that when you are filling up your vehicle if the amount of litres is far higher than the amout of dollars it meant your vehicle was good on gas.

I used to think that when you drove over a road where tar had just been put down, to fill a pothole or something, you were driving over ice cubes and that is what made the crunchy sound. I don't know how I thought ice cubes got on the road, or stayed there in the summer, but I thought that for a very long time!

I used to believe that the STOP signs that had "All way" written underneath them meant that you had to come to a complete stop, as opposed the usual way - by rolling through it.

I used to believe…

When my sisters and I were all young, my parents would drive at night when we travelled, so we'd all sleep and probably make it a less stressful trip for our parents! I was the youngest and would always be in the front seat between my parents. If I'd wake up, my dad would tell me to keep an eye on "Jim Beam". Jim Beam was a little light that hid in the dashboard when another car approached. After the car passed, he'd light up again! I would be fascinated for long periods of time and would try to convince Jim Beam that another car on the road wouldn't hurt him! Later in life, my parents would crack up telling everyone the story about my fascination with "Jim Beam" (the dimmer for headlights).

I used to believe…

When I was little, my mom told me, "This car won't move until you buckle the seatbelt." I thought the car literally wouldn't move, like there was a hardware interlock in place or something.

I used to believe…

When I was little I thought that sitting inside of the traffic lights, there was a gorilla with a parrot sitting on his shoulder. I thought this gorilla and parrot duo were responsible for making the lights change.

I used to believe that at stop lights, cars talked to one another and just rested. I imagined them as out of breath and spreading gossip about the other cars and discussing the traffic up the road.

I eventually asked my mother if that's what the stop lights were for. She laughed.