[Pix of models for illustration purpose only]
Mr. Ang Mor Sai, Chow Kah’s father, stops his jalopy outside Debbie School of Defensive Driving in Taman Connaught in Cheras. The school consists of a cabin under an angsana tree in a fenced-off area about the size of a football field. Its owner, Debbie Ding (aka The Dangerwoman) steps out of the cabin office, flaunting a 34-24-36 figure.
“Wow! No wonder my son recommended her to me!” Mor Sai (right pix below) whispers to himself, eyes bulging, as he gets out of his car.
“Good evening, Mr. Ang,” says Debbie (pix above), extending her hand. "Welcome to my school." After pumping Mor Sai's hand, she leads him to a sports car behind the cabin. “Let’s talk inside my car, make the lessons informal.” They hop in and make themselves comfortable.
“First tip for night driving is to adjust the rear view mirror so that you avoid the reflection of the cars' beams in the rear.” Debbie tilts the rear view mirror a few times. Click! Clack! “See? Here’s how it’s done.”
Mor Sai nods in understanding.
“Next, make sure your windows and windscreen are clean.” She pulls out a folded piece of old newspaper from the glove compartment. “An effective way to clean the windows is to use a crumpled piece of newspaper. It’s more effective than using a wet cloth. One reason is that newspaper can absorb oil. Let me show you. See my window? This is before.” She steps out of the car, crumples the newspaper and wipes the side window on the inside and outside using circular motions. “See? This is after. Isn’t it clearer?”
“Yes, it works like magic.”
Debbie enters the car and manoeuvres it so that it faces the back wall of the cabin, about ten feet away. “Your headlights must be adjusted to the right level. They must not be uneven. Not too high or too low.” She switches on the headlights. “You can check headlights by shining them against a wall. See my big headlights?” Turning sideways, she notices Mor Sai staring at her bosom and snaps, “Mr. Ang! Please don’t stare at my personal headlights! What I meant was my car’s headlights!”
Ang Mor Sai’s hand flies to his mouth. “Ooops! Sorry!”
“Another thing I want to mention is the wearing of anti-glare night driving glasses. These products are just gimmicks and not particularly effective. Yellow tinted glasses are beneficial when driving in foggy conditions but not during night.”
“Since you mentioned fog, is it beneficial to install fog lights?”
“Yes. Fog lights can help you see better in foggy condition.” Debbie wets her lips with her tongue. “My final advice is to dim the dashboard lights when you’re driving at night. If possible don’t look at the in-car GPS, but rely on voice directions. Or if you’re familiar with the route, dispense with the GPS entirely. Lights from the dashboard and GPS are distracting as they disperse light all over the interior.”
“Great! I’ll try it when I'm driving back afterwards.”
Debbie casts a glance at the sky. “It’s getting dark. My lesson ends now. Thanks for coming, Mr. Ang.”
******
Half an hour later, while Mor Sai is driving home, he receives a call on his moby from his son, Chow Kah.
“Papa? Where’re you?”
“Jalan Cheras. Just finished my night-driving lessons. I'm driving without GPS or dashboard lights. Feels great."
“Be careful,” Chow Kah says. “I heard a radio traffic report on myFM that a car is speeding in the wrong direction along Jalan Cheras.”
“Yes, I know. In fact, there’re hundreds of cars travelling in the wrong direction.”
/end
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