My Highway Driving Shame: How I Accidentally Became a Roadblock
I need to confess something that fills me with genuine shame, a truth I only recently faced. Driving was always my biggest fear. Unlike most, I didn't even touch a steering wheel until my late twenties. Crippling anxiety, you see. My parents, bless their hearts, were never the ones to confidently teach me; they aren't exactly stellar drivers themselves. So, I learned late, full of apprehension and a constant knot in my stomach whenever I got behind the wheel.
It's only in the last year or so, at 31, after years of therapy and medication for my anxiety, that I've finally started feeling somewhat comfortable on our chaotic Indian highways. I always prided myself on being an extremely responsible driver—never a challan, never an accident. I truly thought I was doing everything right, carefully maintaining my speed, just trying to get from point A to B safely.
But then, a gut-punching realization hit me like a speeding truck. I was *that* person. The one unknowingly hogging the rightmost lane—our designated fast lane for overtaking on Indian highways. I always associated "keep left" with slow city driving, or thought the right lane was just another option for steady pace. I was completely oblivious to the crucial rule: "keep left unless overtaking."
I'd see cars trying to overtake from the left, sometimes honking impatiently, and I'd just think they were rude or in a hurry. The thought that *I* was the one causing congestion, adding to someone else's frustration and road rage, makes my stomach churn. I am so incredibly sorry to every single driver whose journey I unknowingly impeded. My ignorance was profound, not malicious, but that's no excuse. This confession is my sincere apology, and I promise to be a more mindful, rule-abiding driver from now on.
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