Husband’s driving is her business
Dear Abby: My husband, “Harvey,” and I have operated a home-based business for more than 20 years. Harvey is an amazing technician, extremely efficient with his time on the job. The problem is, he is always in a hurry to get to the next job.
I receive calls from angry motorists complaining that “the driver of one of our trucks” cut them off, yelled at them or flipped them off in traffic. When I receive one of these calls I say, “Thank you for calling. I’ll be sure to speak to the appropriate driver about the incident.”
Harvey feels I should support him by telling the caller it was probably his own fault for talking on a cell phone, driving too slow or cutting him off. I have no doubt that some of these motorists actually do those things, but my husband is driving around with his phone number on his truck and they’re not. When I mention the complaints, he wants to call them back using caller ID.
Am I handling this appropriately? I don’t feel I should reprimand someone for bad driving if I wasn’t present when something happened, nor do I want anyone to know it was my husband—the owner of the business—who flipped them off. Harvey is angry at me because I’m “not supporting” him. Any suggestions?
—Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Dear Between: Harvey may be a great technician, but it appears he’s a little short on common sense and good manners. I see no reason why you should defend him. His behavior is not only childish but also dangerous. Because other motorists are actually calling to report his erratic driving, it’s a pretty good indication that your husband is an accident waiting to happen.
It’s time you mentioned to him that what he’s doing is also bad for business. Those he offends in traffic are not likely to say a kind word about the business he’s advertising on his truck.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P. O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, Calif. 90069.
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