R being eight years older than me does very well. I preface what I am saying is that he is a very safe driver.
A combination of driving causing my arthritis to give me pain and R yelling at me over trivial driving matters, he now drives in the inner suburbs. I will do freeway and longer drives in pain as he hates freeway driving, but nevertheless he is very critical of my freeway driving. Freeway driving is but a dream at the moment.
I mostly keep my mouth shut about R's driving but his constant accelerating and braking drives me nuts. Hey, the traffic light is red. Why are you accelerating? Brake hard at the last minute and bring the car to a jerk stop. Why? I don't get it. To leave our car park we go down a ramp, along a flat level and more ramps and flat levels. Again he accelerates and brakes to an unnecessary almost stop at the ramps. People in the car park have headlights on and there are mirrors to check if another car is coming towards you.
I mostly stay silent, but I did say, why have you pulled up behind this right turning car instead of behind the car on the left when we are going straight ahead. He replied, the car on the left will have to wait for pedestrians to cross. No, the car on the left does not have its left indicator on so it is going straight ahead, and it did, as we had to wait for the right turning car to receive a gap in the traffic. Those of you who drive on the wrong side of the road will have to translate.
I don't know how many traffic fines he has received. I have never received any. Two of his were speed camera catches in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. How was I supposed to know the speed limit is a ridiculous 40 km/h? Well dearest, the speed limit is indicated on the sat nav, and there are around 30, 40 km/h speed limit signs within the one kilometre. The speed limit is 40 km/h because there is a high volume of pedestrians crossing the road, with many bars and pubs.
I asked why have you stopped and giving way to them? You have right of way. Reply, I am being cautious. My reply to that, no, caution is good, hesitancy when driving is not. You are not driving in England where it is you go, no you go, no you go first!
I know where my driving is not good (a terrible sense of righteousness) and although I have less driving confidence in my middle age, my driving has improved since I stopped working and no longer drive to work. I am more relaxed and less bothered about the faults of other drivers. I just call them stupid rather than wanting to shoot them in the head with a Kalashnikov.
It is better I rant here rather than start WWIII by suggesting to R that his driving style could be improved.
When we turn our car off, the screen display tells us the fuel efficiency of that drive. I drive the same way and the trip takes the same time and my fuel consumption comes in at 9 litres per 100 km. R's come in at 11 litres per 100 km. When I drive, I am not slow, I am not hesitant, I am cautious and confident and you won't feel much in the way of centrifugal forces. However, my good reverse parallel parking skills seem to have disappeared. I am well out of practice.
I can see the speed of our new car from the passenger seat. I say, you are at 46 in a 40 zone. He replies, I am just following the car in front. I say, tell that to the court magistrate and see how far you get. He says, you always have a smart arse answer. Then he tried to tell me it was not my business and that he will pay the fine. Well it is my business when you speed and are caught twice at such speeds that your licence was suspended and we had to do a cover up at your work, with you having to make an emergency trip to England for sick relative that was untrue and you were totally dependant on me driving and we even had to cover up your misdeed to family, with many complications, then perhaps rephrase your thoughts of you speeding does not affect me.
I am sure half of my osteoarthritic pain is caused is caused by R's accelerate then brake, rinse and repeat driving style. The G forces are awful, and racing the cold car engine too. I am waiting for his plaintive plea to ask me to drive again, but I am not holding my breath. It will come with conditions of no raging or screaming at me when I am driving and parking. He has experienced real driving and parking stress for a few months and may have kinder attitude to my 'incompetent driving that puts passengers at great risk'.