No matter how wonderful of a driver you are, there’s always a terrible driver out there who screws things up for everyone else. Reckless driving doesn’t just put one person at risk; it can also affect the passengers in the vehicle and the other people on the road.
You could try your best to get someone to change their careless ways, but only drastic action speaks volumes. That’s what happened in this case, where a dad decided to put his foot down after his wife got into yet another car accident.
More info: Reddit
Man threatens to divorce wife over her careless driving habits that constantly endanger their children
Image credits: Oleksandr P (not the actual photo)
Guy said he tries to drive most of the time as his wife is a terrible driver who’s had her license suspended, been in many accidents, and even put her 4 kids at risk
Image credits: Tim Mossholder (not the actual photo)
He told her he’d divorce her if she drove recklessly again, her ex said he would take custody of their 2 kids, and her parents threatened to stop paying her insurance premiums
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Yet again, his wife got into a car accident and was hospitalized, so the man immediately went to a lawyer to initiate the divorce proceedings and get custody of their kids
Image credits: u/Mediocre_Bluejay_555
He mentioned that he was “sick to death of her driving habits” and could not sit around waiting till she injured one of their kids because of her reckless driving
The poster said his wife has 4 kids, 2 from her previous relationship and 2 with him. He told commenters that she is a terrible driver, but she refuses to accept that notion. Despite getting into many accidents, losing her license, and endangering her kids, she has continued to disregard basic road safety rules.
Once, she got t-boned at an intersection while bending down to pick up their son’s pacifier. All 4 children were in the car with her, but luckily nobody was injured. This type of behavior falls into the category of child endangerment - any reckless action that can put a kid in a dangerous situation.
Bored Panda interviewed Stan Cravens, an expert on safe driving, to learn more about the ways a parent could keep their kids safe while driving. He said, “first of all, a parent should make sure that all children in the vehicle are wearing seatbelts, belted into car seats, or secured in booster seats as required for their age/size, and make sure they're secured before driving off. Along those same lines, you need to make sure all car seats are properly installed and adjusted to the child. If there is just one child, they should be in a car seat in the middle of the back seat, the safest location in case of an accident.”
“Following that, a parent should drive like they're transporting a load of eggs. Don't speed, use your signals, yield the right of way, obey all the traffic laws, and avoid distractions (except for the kids...you should always stay aware of what they're doing). Aside from the car seat suggestions, the safe driving suggestions are what a driver should adhere to regardless of the ages of their passengers,” Stan added.
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
The man had warned his wife that if she got into a car accident again, he would file for divorce and take custody of the kids. So when she got into another accident and was hospitalized, he finally reached his breaking point and went to speak to a lawyer. He told people that he felt bad for doing this while she was in the hospital and facing police charges but that it was important for the safety of his kids.
Stan Cravens added to this, stating, “some people feel like nothing bad will ever happen to them, as if they are immune from the laws of physics, and won't have to pay at some point for their bad choices. There is often a lot of ego involved, and an ‘I'm more important than you are’ attitude of entitlement, expecting other drivers to yield the right of way to them. It's ultimately selfishness to put others at risk because of their immature actions. I always hope people that drive like that will have a wakeup call of some kind, where no one gets hurt, but something that will change their whole attitude towards driving.”
Researchers also state that young adults tend to pick up on parents’ risky driving behaviors. Young male and female drivers may engage in reckless driving if parents of their gender are modeling such actions. Therefore, the poster is right to try to set boundaries with his wife. Not only is she putting her children in danger, but she is also making it seem like it’s okay to drive rashly.
The poster mentioned that despite her many accidents, his wife enjoyed driving. But it doesn’t matter whether she likes the activity because she’s clearly bad at it and okay with putting other people in danger. The guy could no longer sit back and wait for anything to happen to his children, so he made a tough decision and filed for divorce.
Why do you think the man’s wife was so insistent on driving recklessly? Let us know what you think.
People were shocked at the wife’s behavior and were glad that the man had finally stood up to her to protect himself and his kids
