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November 20, 2023 • 16 mins

In response to a recent listener mail, Anney talks about her history and relationship with driving.

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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, and this is Annie and Samantha and what good
to stuff I never told you production of iHeartRadio. And
today for this Monday Mini, we're doing kind of a
teaser for an episode that I do want to do.

(00:27):
That was a suggestion from listener Lizzie, and Lizzie wrote
in I'm a longtime fan of Sminty and I'm loving
the more personal and nerdy tone that the podcast has
taken since you two began to host the show. In
an episode from a few months ago, Annie made a
brief comment that she no longer drives as someone who
hates driving but is forced you because of work. I

(00:47):
relate to this so much. I would love to hear
an episode about your thoughts on driving. So much of
the USA is car centric, and it forces the disabled
and those who cannot afford a car to use unreliable
public transit if it even exist. Biking and walking can
be dangerous if the infrastructure is not present, and the
number of pedestrian fatalities has increased a lot in the

(01:08):
past decade. The car centric infrastructure of the USA also
has a racist and the ablest history. So yes, I
do want to talk about that because I looked in
the archives, and we haven't done an episode on We've
done an episode the show is not you and I,
but past host have done an episode on kind of

(01:30):
stereotypes around driving. But they're all really old. One of
them is like from when the show first started. So
time for an update, but also just to look at
this history, I would be really really interested. And just
when I was like thinking about this, I've found a
fact that air bags are designed for men, which I

(01:51):
didn't know. Probably a lot of you already knew that,
but I didn't know that. And so here's a quote
from the Guardian. When a woman is involved in a
car crash, she is forty seven percent more likely to
be seriously injured and seventy one percent more likely to
be moderately injured, even when researchers control for factors such
as height and weight, seatbelt usage and crash intensity. She's

(02:13):
also seventeen percent more likely to die. And it's all
to do with how the car is designed and for whom.
And they talk about all the reasons this is. But
crash chest dummies essentially, when they were first introduced in
the nineteen fifties, they were based on men, and they
go into all of that and why that has led

(02:33):
to the situation we're in. But it's actually it hasn't
gotten that much better.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
The crash test dummy that's based off women like this year,
the first one. Yeah, I just read like not too
long ago, as in fact, like a month ordo ago.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Yes, and a bunch of In this article at least,
which I think was from twenty twenty two, they were
talking about how a bunch of like govern ment agencies
were like, well, it's going to mess up everything if
we take that into account. They were like, well, don't
you think you should take into account like the population,

(03:16):
and uh yeah, they don't have there's not currently any
testing for pregnant women, so it's even worse for pregnant people.
So there's a lot to look into. This was just
like a cursory google and I found this, So I
want to come back and do a whole episode on that.
But for now, I'm just going to talk about what's

(03:37):
going on with me with you. You know, as I was
joking in a recent classic, I am getting ready to
dry for the first time in a while, and it
does make me nervous. Also, I just wanted to acknowledge
that this conversation has privileged throughout and I'm going to
try to highlight it every time, but it does have throughout.

(04:00):
Because I do have a car, I also do have
the opportunity to not drive it. So I actually have
never liked driving. I never wanted to drive. I got
my license a year late, and it was only after
all of my younger friends got it and I felt
like I should. And this was, you know, in the US,

(04:21):
you get it. You get your learners permit at fifteen,
and then your license is at sixteen, and that's kind
of around when you're looking for a job. So it
coincided with other things, but I definitely it definitely wasn't like, oh,
I can't wait to get it. It was like, oh,
I guess I have to get it. And then I
was involved in a car accident that was pretty serious

(04:45):
and stuck with me, and so I just even more
didn't like it. But I also felt like I had
to be the one to drive, which was strange looking back,
especially where I am now, I'm like, what was I doing?
But I even recently on work trips, I've been the

(05:06):
one that drives, even though everyone knows I hate it,
and it's because I fill out the paperwork, I'm the
one for the rental car. But I think that's shape.
People know I hate it enough where they're like, I'll
fill out that paperwork, don't do it. And I have
had to tire blowouts that have really stuck with me,

(05:31):
like every time I drive, I think my tires about
to blow out. I did drive three hours a day
to and from work for three years, so it is
funny to me now where I am where I'm like,
I I walk, I will walk. And I got my

(05:55):
car kind of out of spite because it was my
brother is my older brother's car, and he had had
several crashes. He didn't take care of it. They gave
it to me. So I was lucky in that way,
like I got it. I didn't have to buy it.

(06:17):
I got it. It was a great car. Eventually, my
dad was involved in a wreck in it though, and
so it got total but he was by everyone was fine.
It was just one of those things where the car
just completely got totaled. And then eventually I got another
car that was donated to me from my mom. So
I've never had to buy a car. It's very privileged

(06:39):
race to be. I also am in a very walkable space.
Atlanta as a whole is not walkable at all. It's
like a joke. It's like a well known it is
not a walkable city. We do not have good public transportation.
It might take you forever to get to the public

(07:01):
transportation to take it. So I'm very very privileged that
i can live in a walkable space. And I'm also
very privileged that I can take something like lyft that
I can afford it, and I do if it's for work.
You best believe I charge that to the company, as
I shouldn't. But I also have really good friends like you, Samantha,

(07:24):
who are who indulged in my like I don't want
to drive, wake me up and drive me place.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Some of that is monibility to get you to come out, yeah,
because I'm like I don't want to go there about myself.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
You're coming with me, I'm coming back because I will
be like I'll just walk there or I'll just whatever
or whatever. And You're not the only one. I totally
get that too, that like I don't want to go
in alone to this venue. I want a person with me.
But it does kind of crack me up when I'm
like I'll just get there and you're like, nah, I'll

(08:01):
see you come in. Yeah. So I have all those
things going going for me. It is kind of funny
to me because when I was first started at the job,

(08:22):
that was when I was doing the commute, the three
hour commute, so I would drive to our public transport
Marta and then I would take Marta to this job.
It's changed like several times, but essentially this job. And
at that time I kind of liked like I would
listen to MPR. I sort of liked I don't know,

(08:46):
I would wake up three am, four am, so I
would and hit traffic, and I liked that I could
listen to things. But one time I was driving home
and I was listening to an episode of Stuff to
Your Mind that I had edited, and they were talking
about driving and that one of the hosts called it
high stakes gambling, and she described all the statistics, and

(09:08):
I just remember getting so tense and being like, oh no,
this was a mistake to listen to this, to listen
to this, and that's you know, I find a lot
of times I don't trust other people on the road.
I don't trust me, even though there's no reason I

(09:29):
actually think I'm a pretty good driver, but I'm just
nervous and I don't trust my car because it's old
and I never drive it, and so when I get
in it and it shakes like this, I'm like, is
this normal? Immediately, yeah, probably that My tire thing is

(09:52):
always like you need new tires. I'm like, I just
got new tires anyway. I don't trust parking in Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
That's parking in the self is a scam here in Atlanta.

Speaker 1 (10:03):
That is true. You are right, but yeah, I just
I don't like it. I tried. I literally every time
I get into the car, I think this might be it.
It's just such a grim thought. You're not the only
one not think that too, And I have stories of

(10:25):
people where they that was that was it. It's really sad.
It's like scarier than any rollercoaster to me driving, I
don't like it. I worry about other people. I worry
about myself when other people do it. I don't. I

(10:47):
am like the one that's like, maybe you shouldn't like
with my mom, especially, I'm maybe you shouldn't come to Atlanta.
It's fine. I'm like, no, no, no, it's okay. But
I'm nervous about it. I'm the person who's like, tell
me when you got home. I need to know. It's
strange to me that driving is the thing where people
literally will say, like, please drive safe, as like we're

(11:08):
all acknowledging that maybe something will happen. And it's funny
because I used to be, like I said, the person
who drove. I was the one did the road trips
well to like well, because I actually did do a
huge road trip. Not on that trip I didn't, but

(11:29):
I'm like to like Orlando or something like that, I
would be the one that did that. But now my
anxiety and people like know how much I hate it.
People don't want me to drive, which I actually appreciate,
but I also feel bad about I'm also my car
is old. It is old. You've never driven me. Ever,

(11:50):
I don't think no, I, like I said, I think
I'm a good driver. My car is suspect. And when
I was dating my ex who I dated for three years,
I used to like make a point that we would
drive equal amounts, like it wouldn't be him all the
time and it wouldn't be me all the time. And
now that's out the window for me. I'm like no, no, oh,

(12:19):
and there's a whole drop. I won't go into it,
but Savannah's heerd all about it about where my car
is parked and landlords and getting reported as abandoned and
all kinds of things. Again, a scam. It is, it
really really is. So yeah, happy holidays, stay safe. I'm nervous,

(12:43):
Like I I drove home for my mom's birthday in
September and it was okay. But I get home and
I'm like, yeah, which is already stressful. Going home is
already stressful. We're gonna into up driving. But I know
people who love it, Like I had a brief time

(13:05):
where I liked like it's the highway was just completely empty.
I liked that, right, but it was a very brief
period of time. I did like especially as a high schooler.
I do get the independence part of it of like, Okay,
I can go to the movies or I can go
to the mall or whatever. I totally get it. It's

(13:27):
just I am not that point in my life anymore.
But yeah, I think there is a lot to talk
about in this conversation, and I'm excited to do that
episode because I think a bunch of people don't realize it,

(13:47):
especially because we are such a car centric nation. If
you can't afford a car, you can't drive a car
for whatever reason. That was one of the things when
they were like, come back to work at our office,
and I was like, well, you're paying from my lift right,
which is not a sponsored by the way, You're paying
because I'm not driving, so it's gonna be expensive right

(14:08):
for you to do it. And then they kind of
backed up, not because of me, but in general. I
think I'm backed off of that whole thing. But yeah,
Atlanta is not a good city for not having a
car in a lot of ways. Yeah. Oh and also

(14:28):
I I'm fine, but I have been hit as a
pedestrian five times by car. So your point, your point,
Lizzie has heard and you've seen me. I won't cross
the I am like, look at every which way. I

(14:51):
don't like to cross the street unless I know for sure.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
Again, I'm trying to think of how many times we
might have crossed the street together. I don't think that
often because you often arrive in a've left in that
area so.

Speaker 1 (15:05):
Well, you used to, because I would at your old apartment.
I would come down the street, turn around, and come
back around so I could park on so I wouldn't
have to cry the street. I did used to drive
a bit more back, yeah, but not anymore. It's gotten
more worse now. I take my car out like a

(15:27):
like it's a pet. I'm like, okay, make sure you
still start. We'll go on a little taunt together and.

Speaker 2 (15:33):
They come back for that one spot.

Speaker 1 (15:35):
Then come back to that one spot that my landlord
does instruct me. He wants me to park in, so
I'm like, okay, I can do. Yeah. So that's just
some of my thoughts, my experience around it. Why I
don't like to drive, why I try not to drive.
But yeah, it does come from a big place of privilege,

(15:57):
and we are going to come back into you an episode.
I am excited about it. But in the meantime, thank
you so much for listening. And seriously, whatever you do
if you're traveling, stay.

Speaker 2 (16:09):
Sane, safe, yes, get rest.

Speaker 1 (16:11):
Get rest, have some joyful times, good luck, good luck. Yes.
And if you would like to contact us, you can.
You can email us at Stephania Mom steph at iHeartMedia
dot com. You can find us on Twitter at mom
Stuff podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok at Stephane Never
Told You. We have a tea public store and we

(16:32):
have a book that you can get wherever you get
your books. Thinks as always to our super producer Christina,
our executive producer Maya, and your contributor Joey, thank you
and thanks to you for listening. Stephan Never Told You
is production of My Heart Radio. For more podcast from
my Heart Radio, you can check out the heart Radio
Apple podcast or wherever you listen to your favorite shifts

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