I will state for the record before I even begin.  I have NEVER owned a Toyota.  I do not work for Toyota nor do I have any association wtih them and the following is my opinion and my opinion alone.

For eight years I drove a Geo Metro Convertible LSI in white.  This is not my car, I have only film copies of me and my sweet ride and they are in Apples room and she is asleep.  This photo is courtesy of Wikipedia .

As much as I loved my sweet convertible and the fact that it only cost me $15 in gas for two weeks worth of driving, it wasn’t without it’s faults.  For a three cylinder I quite often found myself driving on only two.  The locks would freeze up for most of the winter, causing me to have to crawl in through my trunk to unlock the doors. But, in the summer when the roof was down and I was tanned and loving my ride all the winter faults were long forgotten.

With all the recent talk about Toyota and their stuck gas pedals, I feel that I should come out and share my experience with stuck gas pedals.  It used to happen to me with my Geo, all the time.  Yes, ALL THE TIME.  Mostly in the wintertime when the throttle would get frozen. But, there is a safe way to get yourself out of this situation.  Turn your car off.  It didn’t matter if I was still in the driveway or on the highway when my gas pedal would get stuck and the engine would redline, I would turn the car off, coast to safety and put on my hazards.   I am not saying this is fool proof, but when your car is speeding out of control, instead of going into panic mode and trying to beat red lights, just cut the gas to the engine and coast yourself to safety as best you can.

Too many drivers these days don’t know how to get themselves out of situations.  I am not sure if it is because they grew up driving new cars or what but, my Dad always had beaters and us kids learned how to drive in them.  Over the course of the last 23 years of driving I have had my share of strange situations.  Stuck gas pedals are just a small part of it.  I have had to change my alternator on the side of the highway, too many flat tires to count, open the hood to spark the starter, timing belt blow out on the 416, power steering cut out on me, clutch cable snapping (Downtown in Winnipeg and yes, my Dad can drive without a clutch) and many more that I am sure I am forgetting.  Back in High School my Sister and I were known for the beaters we would show up with, but it never stopped anyone from asking for or taking a ride. Just remember not to panic and you can usually get yourself out of a situation.

So be gentle on Toyota if you own or were thinking of owning one of their cars.  And remember that the company that makes those apparently faulty gas pedals??  They don’t just make them for Toyota.

I woke Apple from her nap (like I do most mornings) to pick up her brother from school.  Drove the block to school, so sad I know, but if I let J come home, there is no going out again.  Anyhow, drove to pick up J from school.  Bribed him with a Rotten Ronnies drive thru.  Drove down the picturesque Colonel By Drive, gazed at the World’s Largest Skating  Rink.  Went through a few side streets to get to Landsdowne Park and the Aberdeen Pavillion just so I could try to get some Lululemon cheap.

So did everyone else in Ottawa.

There was a three hour wait just to get in.  With J and Apple, there was no way I was even going to chance it.  We went to Costco instead.  Bummer.

I know it is your job to pull people over who are breaking the law. I know that when you set a speed trap you expect people to slow down, before they get anywhere near your radar gun. I know that the speed limit in that zone is 60km/h and I know you have and will continue to be there all week long.

But, if you aren’t there, does it mean that I can speed?

When a new Mom with obvious dark circles under her eyes and two kids in the back tells you that her baby was screaming so she was distracted, could you not believe her instead of sticking your head through the window to question why she isn’t screaming anymore?

I know you were just doing your job, but when you keep telling me that the limit was 60 and I had not slowed down from the previous limit of 80 so much so that I break down and cry, while now feeding my again screaming baby. That of course, you did not hear because you were running my licence and seeing that I had no prior convictions or speeding tickets… EVER. Could you not have just forgiven me and pulled over the five other people that were behind me doing the exact same speed? Just wondering.

When my son started crying because he thought his Mom was going to jail, could you have not just walked away with giving me a warning. You know like the two I received when I was young and stupid and doing 60 over the limit on the highway instead of 20 over with screaming kids and a singing Grandma? Oh you didn’t know that woman was my Mom, the one trying to calm the kids down in the backseat at the same time she was trying to justify my oversight. Yes, her, she is the one person who could have told you, if you had wanted to listen, that I never speed with the kids in the car. It was just one of those days. When all the distractions possible in the world, except a ringing cell phone, were happening in my car.

So, Officer Olaf. I know that after writing up my ticket and seeing me and my son crying, while I was feeding my new baby and my Mom was singing some U2, you felt terrible for writing that ticket. Maybe, just maybe next time you will give that new Mom a chance and let her off with a warning. I should acknowledge that you did drop it down so I wouldn’t lose any points, but you know… you just killed my perfect driving record. And the worst part of it is… that if the baby hadn’t been screaming I would have gone a different way home to drop off my library books.

Thanks,
BeachMama xoxo

*named changed for you know security reasons.

And for the record, I will admit to previously being a fast, very fast driver. But, I no longer drive like Mario Andretti, so I guess you could say I took one for the team, but I really don’t think it is fair considering I am that annyoing Mom who drives the exact speed limit now. Yes, that is me in front of you… and you better be prepared to stop at the stop sign too, because if you don’t you will be rear-ending me.