Be Safe

I was on my way to work recently. That’s not unusual—despite rumors to the contrary, I have not retired.  I still go in to work 5 days a week. Monday through Friday. Weekends too, from time to time.

It was quite early in the morning, which is also common for me.  I’m an early riser. I was on the road when I came around a corner, maybe a bit too fast and came upon a line of vehicles stopped at a red light.

No problem. I braked, maybe a bit too hard, but I had no trouble stopping in time.

But my mind got kicked into high gear at that point.  What if my brakes failed?  What if I had been texting at the same time?  What if I just wasn’t paying attention?

I would have plowed into that pickup truck at the back of the line. And that truck would likely have been pushed into the vehicle in front of it and so on and so on. 

Catastrophe averted because I was awake, paying attention, and not on my phone.

My daughter-in-law got T-boned a few years ago by a teenager who ran a red light, likely because she was texting with her friends.  Both drivers walked away but it could have been bad.

Statistics tell us that a huge portion of automobile accidents are due to distracted driving, and that the chief culprit there is texting while driving. (It is against the law, by the way.)  I think the statistics could be deceiving—I think the number could be higher than current estimates.

Anyway, the admonition to focus on driving when you’re behind the wheel is only part of the story today.

Oh sure, it’s the main point.  I’ve got three teenage drivers in the family, one more almost there, and a fifth not far behind.  I want them to be safe drivers. I want them to arrive alive.

It is a bit of a dark thought, but while attending a high school graduation recently, I thought about the fact that somewhere, some high school senior didn’t make it to their graduation.  They were killed in a car wreck. 

I still worry about my own children, now in their 40’s—still wanting to know when they arrive at their destination should they be making a long drive.  Always have. Always will.

The other part of the story is a simple bit of advice:  Focus on what you’re doing. Give the task at hand your full attention, whether it be your studies, your job, your sport…really anything you might be doing.

If you are true to yourself, you want to give the best of yourself at all times.  The world needs…the world deserves, your best effort.  In everything you do.

Be safe.