One has to do with the seat belt warning noise. I grew up in the pre-required seat belt era, and we slid all over the seats as our family station wagon trekked across country from military assignment to military assignment. By the time I learned to drive most cars had buzzers that told us to "BUCKLE UP." The buzzers were obnoxious and I wanted to be a good little 'rules compliant' driver so I clicked every time. When my kids came along, the warning tones were less obnoxious, but I was so habituated to it that I just did it automatically and made them do so as well. And if I left it off for a moment so I could finish doing something with one hand and drive with the other, I didn't get very far down the street before a child yelled, "Mom! Seat belt!"
But there is one time when, no matter how polite the warning tone is, I refuse to buckle. That is when I am backing out of my driveway. I live in the bottom of a slight hollow and the driveway rises to the street. The street is a cul-de-sac and we're in the base of it, so the small children in my neighborhood go running across there without a lot of situational awareness.
I get in, use my left foot pushing against the floorboard to hike me up a little in my seat. I swivel my body around to the right and put my right arm on the passenger seat. Then I swivel my body further so I can turn my head around and see up the drive. I imagine I'm like an owl swiveling its neck around to see what is behind it. Then I put my right foot on the gas and head up the drive.
And that stupid little dinger goes on and on. Because the car is a hybrid the noise is disproportionately loud. It rings incessantly, ranting at me, "YOU HAVEN'T BUCKLED UP YET!"
So today I did something dumb. I stopped, and automatically reached over and turned the radio button down. To stifle the noise. It didn't work. What was I thinking?
Sigh.
