In Need Of A Car That Talks

~ Bitchy After 60

The bitchy ditz has once again reared her unfocused head. It is as if her brain has gone on vacation. I have covered this topic before and admitted to a full range of ditzy moments in a blog written last April. If you are interested, you can read about that here.

Focus is a big issue for me. And it is becoming a bigger issue as I age. I had hoped that retirement and more stable hormones would produce the necessary combination of rest, lack of stress and a mental calmness to counter some of the ditzy things my wandering brain can cause me to do. But alas, I was completely wrong about this. Apparently, in my world, once a ditz always a ditz.

Most of my ditzy behaviour–like the constant fumbling of my phone or glasses, or the messing up of a recipe, or the making of dumb observations without thinking them through–are laughable and entertaining. A good reason for a chuckle. But lately, my ditzy events are taking place when I am behind the wheel of my car, and this has become fucking scary. 

In April, I wrote about tearing the plastic bumper off my car when coming into contact with the rubber sliding door stop of the plumber’s van while trying to back out of my driveway. I was going so slow that it was difficult to comprehend how it all could have happened. I have been driving around with my bumper duct taped together ever since. 

This month, two more events took place that have rattled my confidence when behind the wheel. The first resulted in a bent rear passenger door that I thought was shut as I slowly backed out of a library parking space only to come into contact with a mirror on a large pickup truck. Luckily the mirror had a rubber back and there was no damage to the truck. My door, however is another story. There is a bend large enough to let air, light and water into the back seat of my vehicle. More duct tape! Did the door pop open after I shut it and went back into the library to get more books for my delivery route? Did I just forget to shut it? I don’t know. What I do know is that I didn’t realize it was open before I started backing up.

The second was almost hitting a pedestrian while making a right turn. He wasn’t there when I looked, and then I looked the other way and forgot to look right again. Such a simple basic driving rule. This was the ditzy event that shook me up the most.  

It is obvious that I need help. Yes I know I’ve always needed some sort of help; but in this case, I need help driving. I currently drive a 2014, standard shift, Subaru Forrester that does absolutely nothing to help me drive better. It is lacking even the basic of warning systems. It is lacking a back-up camera and something to tell me a door is open. These are things I have never needed in the past but obviously need now. I need my vehicle to communicate with me. I don’t need it to sing me lullabies or tell me stories, but I do need it to keep everyone and everything else around me, when I am using it, safe. I need it to make up for my wandering focus by drawing my attention back to what is important while I am behind the wheel.

This means is that I need a new car. I have been looking at new cars off and on for the past year. The plan was to wait a bit longer, but now I feel I can no longer wait. Unfortunately, there will still be some waiting because of car inventory issues and because I had decided on an electric vehicle for my next car. It will tie in nicely with the solar panels that will be installed on our roof sometime this spring.

Yesterday, I placed an order for an electric Hyundai Kona with a ton of safety features. Its benefits are twofold. It will accommodate my need to feel and drive safer and my desire to do what I can to leave this planet with a clear conscience. However none of this will happen for at least eight months. Enough time for me to repair my current car to use as a trade in. Lets hope I don’t do any more damage to this car in the meantime.

Thank you for reading.

Photo: autotrader.ca

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23 thoughts on “In Need Of A Car That Talks”

  1. I need to buy a new car in the next 2 years before they force us to all have electric (I don’t have sufficient power to my house to charge an electric car). But I’m going completely the opposite way in my thinking – I was horrified to read about all the extra ‘tech’ on the new VW Polo (which is my first choice as I like Polos) – I don’t want anything to fret about me changing lanes, falling asleep (I’m totally hyper when driving so I’d never fall asleep) etc. Nor do I want air-con (we just need a good heater here), electric windows (dangerous – especially in floods). About the only thing I accept is ABS and I’d like (but probably won’t have available) an electric front windscreen for frosty mornings – now that is a real safety feature!

    Luckily they do a ‘build your own’ new car – you don’t actually literally build it, but you select what features you want – or, in my case, don’t want. I’m hoping I can exclude nearly all the new ‘tech’.

    But you’re not alone in doing daft stuff to your car. I hurt my poor old retired Sunny the other day. I was charging the battery (I’m trying to keep the car running even though he can’t go out on the roads). The battery was still charging as it got dark so I tried to shut the garage door. It wouldn’t shut so I insisted… Eventually, I noticed I was folding my bonnet in half! Poor car – I’ve tried to straighten it the best I can but with one arm, it isn’t easy!

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  2. I dread new car shopping, especially now. The long wait and depreciation will drive me nuts, but I’m glad you found one you like. Oddly enough I drive a 2014 Forester which I love, though I do have the back up camera. I’ve had two ditzy driving moments in the past 10 years… side swiped one of those poles around the gas pump, and even worse, left the car in gear on a slight incline at a drive thru atm and leaned too far out the door so my foot came out the brake. It rolled with me hanging on and clipped the side of the building. Duh!

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    1. I have actually owned 2 Forresters. My first one was nicer than the one I have now. The current one is the base model. Terrible seats. My new vehicle will have lumbar support as well as all the safety features. I did a lot of homework before making my decision so I am pretty sure I will be happy. Three ditzy driving moments were too much in less than a year. Previously my average was similar to yours.

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      1. So I have something to look forward to…
        😉
        My Forester was the fancy one with all the bells and whistles. It’s been a great vehicle. My late mother named her Ethel, which makes it hard to let her go.

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  5. Don’t be so hard on yourself. By the way we have a back up camera and I find it only helps let me know when I’m close to something directly behind me. It doesn’t give a very wide perspective so you still have to shoulder check the same. Hope you like the new car! Maggie

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  6. I’m afraid it comes with age. I remember my Dad starting to have incidents and now it’s happening to me. I’m also becoming more aware that my field of view is restricted by my stiff neck. Why did nobody tell us about old age?

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  7. I used to have an Kona EV and LOVED it! Unfortunately, it was one of the first and they had battery issues so Hyundai bought it back. I now drive a Tesla but I really miss my Kona. It had just the right amount of tech… not too much like my Tesla. Even though my car is pretty new, I’m tempted to sell it and get a Hyundai Ioniq. I will never own a gas-powered vehicle again. My husband also owns an older Subaru with none of the safety features. I’d like him to get a newer car… but he always drives my EV anyway.

    I’m glad you are getting a new car. Some of the beeps and alarms are irritating but they are a lot safer.

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