The Last day of the Year

For those drivers who have made it to this day we have been lucky and responsible in our driving experience. Now we come down to the very last day of the year, having survived until now, but we are facing the most insane period of the year: New Year's celebrations. We will go out to join in some form of activity that will almost certainly involve alcohol.

For most people the celebrations will be about welcoming in 2017, with hope for improvement and a better life, but the toast will be with cava and other booze. I have always been a little confused by this because no-one can know what the new year will actually bring, so what are we celebrating? We can hope, we can guess, and we can personally be positive, but what actually will take place during the year is anybody's guess.

I always prefer to confine my toast to what I know. In spite of 2016 having been the year of staggering stupidity and a mess, for me and my family the year was good to us. It allowed me to write and publish two books; and for our son he has made great progress in his chosen career in the mountains of the Spanish Pyrenees. All three of us have enjoyed good health, which really was on the top of our wish list, and remains there for 2017.

So, although the year has not yet ended I can wish for you and us that we take care to drive carefully so that we live to see in the new year. At least we can do our part to make 2017 the safest for travel. We always have a choice: we can overtake, or not; we can cruise at too much speed for that stretch of road, or not: and, perhaps most importantly we can choose to intake something that will impair our judgement and drive, or not: Only you and I can drive for ourselves. It's solely up to us.

Happy Motoring 2017!

Copyright (c) 2016
Eugene Carmichael