Unfiltered Story #287887

This happened about 8 or 9 years ago when I took driver’s ed. When they teach you on the road you start each lesson by dropping off the student from the previous lesson home.

One day, I get in the car and drive the other miserable teenager to their house, which is through several residential backstreets. I back out of their driveway and the instructor tells me the speed limit is 15MPH. As I drag along the street, hoping that no one who lives in this area needs to leave it any time soon, a squirrel runs in front of the car. I don’t have to break hard to stop, so I stop and wait for the squirrel to decide which side of the street it wants to be on. I check my mirrors and I’m clear, so I’m not worried about anyone behind me.

For the driving instructor, this was apparently the wrong move. He said if someone was behind me they could have hit me. I said it would be up to the hypothetical car behind me to be driving at a safe distance and brake in time and I would NOT be hitting a squirrel! By the time we were done arguing the squirrel had run off and the lesson moved on.

That day he told me parents that I refused to listen to his instructions and had an issue with authority. Luckily my parents thought it was hilarious he was making a big deal over a squirrel and said I did the right thing. They still occasionally tease me about it, though.