Last night and today are very sad days for several families my sister, Beth and her family know. So this horrific loss has moved me to write this entry in my blog.
It seems like at least once a week there is someone in the news who dies from a tragic auto/bus/motorcycle accident. Some drugs or alcohol are involved, others, there just doesn't seem to be a good reason to explain other than the driver just wasn't paying attention in those few seconds right before.
Laws for driving over the year have expanded. I'm sure the Rules of the Road book I studied as a teen was much smaller than the ones new drivers today have to study. We didn't have cellphones, not all cars had seat belts, and while drinking and driving were just frowned upon, there were no DUI laws yet. Plus we laughed & bragged about piling 8 or people into a Camero so we could all get to the college dance bar.
When I look back at the laws that have been enacted since I was a kid, they all have one theme - "They Enforce Common Sense".
I used to think the laws about banning the talking on cell phones was crazy. To me, its the same thing as talking to people in the car. But lately, I'm all to aware how different it is to talk on the cellphone while driving. I don't have voice commands, so I have to look to dial. Even if just pressing one speed dial button, my eyes are off the road for that second. A lot can happen in that one second. Even the safest driver can be caught off guard in one second. I'm not just preaching, I've experienced it.
Driving the country farm roads to the train, there's nothing out there usually in the morning. Every person and animal is usually still sound asleep. So one morning, when the alarm on my phone went off, my automatic reflex was to reach for my phone, glance quickly and turn the alarm off. I'm quite adapt now at grabbing my phone without taking my eyes off the road. But I still habitually glance at my phone to make sure I hit off, and not snooze. It took barely a second. A quick glance down and my eyes were back on the road. However, in that quick second, a rabbit jumped into my path and froze there starring at me. My instinct again was to swerve out of its way not to hit it. Both the rabbit and I survived that moment, but it made a light bulb go off in my head. I was lucky in so many ways. I was lucky the rabbit wasn't a person. I was lucky I only had my eyes off the road for a second. A second longer and the rabbit would not have made it. I was also lucky there was no traffic on the other side of the road. Had my alarm gone off on a more traveled road, and had it been a person or car stopped in front of me, with traffic coming in the other direction, that one second of glancing down could have been a lot more horrific!
I know, I'm very grateful that one second happened when and where it did. But it made me realise how much we all take for granted how many times we take our eyes off the road for "just one second", and don't end up in a horrific accident.
I'm not mentioning this to make everyone afraid to get behind the wheel of a car and drive. My thought is that in today's world of so many electronic gadgets and new distractions, we all seem to have let our guard down. Whether your walking, biking, standing, or driving while talking or not talking on a phone, or listening or not listening to music, driving alone or with others, we always always always pay attention to what it going on around you.
Not matter how safe you think you are, always pay attention to what's going on around you. Use that peripheral vision and don't forget what's going on behind you. You don't have to be paranoid, just glance around quickly. If driving, keep your eye on what vehicles behind and on the side of you are doing, not just the ones in front of you. I once avoided a bad accidentally because I could see the pickup behind me wasn't paying attention to see me and the cars in front of me were stopped. Because I could see the truck wasn't going to stop in time, and saw there was a turning median on my left without cars, I was able to quickly move out of the trucks way and avoid being hit. Had I only been looking ahead waiting for the light to turn, it would have been a different story. The guy in the truck pulled over to apologize. He just glanced down to light a cigarette. Something he had done thousands of time, but hadn't noticed traffic stopped this time.
I couldn't be angry with him. Even back then I could recall times where I just glanced at the radio or to grab my purse from falling off the seat, only to look up and notice traffic stopped. Fortunately, I always managed to notice with more than enough time to stop, but my heart would still be in my throat for a couple seconds.
I'm sure we could all share similar stories. But what I really wanted to take a moment and say is this:
Please do not be a victim of senselessness! Use your common sense now, don't wait for a law to remind you. Always Always Always be aware of your surroundings at all times! Know what's going on so you have time to react!
Know the roads you're traveling on. If you know there's a stop light or street light ahead, start to slow down, but keep an eye on the person behind you. Make sure they're paying attention to slow down too.
When at a stop light/sign - NEVER stop right on the tail of the car in front of you. You don't have to be one of those who leaves 1 1/2 car lengths either. Driver's ed will tell you a good rule of thumb is as long as you can see the cars back tires fully and the ground right beneath them, that is close enough. If you can only see partial tires or just the bumper, you are too close. On wet or snowy days, you should leave even more space! This is because you can never control what the car behind you will do. If the roads are slick and they tap you, you're less likely to hit the car in front of you. Plus, if there's no one on either side of you, it gives you room to verve out of the way safely.
Do not play the music too loud, and if you're a passenger, be aware that the driver needs to pay attention too. Drivers need to be able to hear not only when emergency vehicles are coming, but its hard to hear honking horns or train horns if the music is too loud or too many conversations are going on at one time.
I know I'm sounding like a boring mother-hen or annoying driver's ed instructor. But it just really saddens me when I hear about a fatal traffic accident that may have been avoided when it was just a matter of using common sense while driving. Its too late for the driver who hit my niece & nephew's much loved nanny, Bry and killed her boyfriend. So hopefully by writing this, I will inspire at least one other person to slow down and pay attention whether they're walking, biking or driving, and prevent another senseless tragedy like this one.
Thanks for listening. :-)
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