Triniglish|Trinididioms spoken and explained #93
Yuh is ah Trini | Ah get ah bad drive
Yuh is ah Trini | Ah get ah bad drive
Have you ever been a victim of this - "Yuh nevah get ah bad drive?" Hell yes, this is a common occurrence in Trinidad. The interesting thing is that it does not matter if someone causes you to get into an accident or because you were not paying attention and you caused an accident. The immediate response of a Trinidadian is simple: "Ah get ah bad drive". Hey, you guessed it ... "It was not my fault!"
It is unfortunate but a fact that Trinidadians don't use common sense when driving. Everyone wants to get to their destination first and most Trinis have a total disregard for the regulations that govern safety on the roadways. Speeding... This is the main cause of most accidents in the country and deaths occur frequently because of foolish driving and speeding. Some young men even drag race on the highways. Any crash that occurs and the driver is fortunate to walk away from the scene is always because of "ah bad drive".
Drinking and driving are normal. Alcohol is consumed on the streets in front of police officers. Drivers routinely drink beers on a hot day and calmly get into their cars and drive away. It is typical and very normal to hear drinkers saying, "Take one for de road". That one more drink could very well lead to a crash that once again is the result of getting "ah bad drive". It is never about foolish behavior or a blatant disregard for the law.
We have to look inward if we care about saving lives on the road. If "ah get ah bad drive" it should be because of the foolishness of another driver. It should never be because I was inebriated at the wheel.
Let us reflect and laugh at the way we describe unsafe driving especially when someone says "ah get ah bad drive". However, we must always be cognizant of the fact that it is always our choice to be as safe as we can when driving. Don't let your friend drive drunk and don't ever get into a vehicle knowing that drinking is taking place or the driver was drinking - don't ever take that chance!