I know first hand what it is like to be in a car accident. I was eight-years-old when I was flipped upside down. Though the car was totaled, my father and I were able to get out of the car and have minimal injuries. This moment always reminds me of how fragile life is and how easily we forget the importance of being safe.
From the moment you sit behind the wheel of a speeding bullet you have already increased the likelihood of injury and death for the day. Not to scare anyone but an accident can happen at any time unexpectedly and may not be your fault. You can be the most cautious driver and all it takes is that one distracted driver to cross paths with you. For some, cars are not the only thing we have to watch-out for, animals are also unpredicted and very frightened of vehicles(deer).
I was driving to work one morning and several families of geese were crossing the road up ahead. I slowed down and came to a complete stop when I was 10ft away. I did what most drivers do--honk the horn and usually the process speeds up. Not for me, they started hissing. Lesson learned. I didn't honk the second time and waited for the family to make it across.
I was on my way home last summer going 55 (the speed limit) and was approaching a small animal rapidly. I was going uphill when the animal freezed in place and there was very little I could do at that point. Because I was going uphill, it was impossible for me to see if another car was coming and decided that swerving to save the life of a raccoon was not as logical as saving mine and my parents insurance bill/ car bill. Lets also make this clear, I was not about to slam on the breaks so one raccoon could live. Point is, I had killed my first animal driving and it felt weird knowing I had just taken it's life away. Don't worry. I got to stare at his corpse in remembrance for the next week as I went to and from home.
Even when you are looking out for any sort of collision, the swinging car door is upon my favorite. It always makes me wonder what others are thinking when they have to open up their door all the way to get out of the car when they know that traffic is around. I was making a lefthand turn, and just as I almost completed it, a lady from a car just in front of me swung her door open and proceeded to get out. First off she should have looked to see if a car was coming before risking her car door flying off. I had to swerve and luckily I wasn't going too fast either.
I encourage you to take extra precaution when driving around people. With all the stories of little kids having tragic things happening to them all over the news, lets keep one more story off the media, drive a little slower and look out for small running humans.
Almost all drivers have a story about when they almost got into an accident and most have been stuck in traffic because of an accident. I encourage you to take a little extra time to get where you need to go. Being safe is well worth than getting into an accident. Plan ahead and always think about you first when driving.
