Security Monitoring

Chapter 8. Conclusion: Keeping It Real

For the past two years, I’ve been teaching my teenagers to drive. As my patience stretched, I began to wonder whether I could simplify things by writing down the steps for them to employ. Once I had documented the steps, my younger kids could eventually use them—maybe I could even sell the publishing rights! The steps would look something like this:

• Verify that all tires are properly inflated to within 35–37 PSI.

• Check for traffic on the street—do not proceed if there is a vehicle in motion within 750 feet.

• Open driver door.

• Be seated in the driver’s seat.

• Adjust seat so that your torso is no more than 18 inches from the wheel and your feet can easily work the foot pedals.

• Adjust rear-view mirror so that the rear window is centered in your view.

• Place your hands on the steering wheel at the 10:00 and 2:00 positions.

• Verify that you know the location of headlights, windshield wipers, brake, and accelerator.

• Place key in ignition and start car.

You get the idea: this is tedious. Experienced drivers don’t follow every step. Sure, on some occasions I plan more carefully, such as when leaving for a long journey. Most of the time, however, I skip most of these steps, such as when heading off to work. Some steps are executed subconsciously—I’ve done them for so long that I don’t even think about them—whereas others I perform only occasionally.

Here’s the point: the authors have a confession to make. We rarely follow the details of our own advice. Something always ...