My first car was a maroon 1997 Chevy Cavalier with more than 200,000 miles on it. Someone gave it to us after my wife, our two-year-old and I had moved to the US and made it through two brutal Colorado winters. They called it a gift, but honestly it felt more like a blessing. It was the first car I ever owned in my life. Growing up I never had one. I drove my in-laws’ car, and at work I drove the company car, usually with my boss in the back, the whole time quietly wishing one of them was mine. So that worn-out Cavalier was a long time coming.

That December I drove it from Fort Collins to Boston, my four-year-old buckled in the back and every other inch packed with luggage. Snowy roads, highways I had never seen, the dead of winter. On the last night of the trip I got pulled over for the first time in my life. The reason? Driving too slow. The most careful guy on the road, and that is what got me stopped. I still laugh about it.

Years later, coming home from Aspen, our Tahoe slipped on black ice with my whole family inside. For a few seconds the road just took over. The car held, and everyone walked away. That night taught me to drive for the conditions, not the speed limit, and to never cut corners on the car itself. The safety built into a good vehicle is not a nice-to-have. That night, it is the reason my family made it home.

That is also why, when friends ask me where to begin, I point them to our own team at SP Auto Sales. Getting the people you love home safe should never be left to chance.

This is what driving on your terms looks like.