Automobiles are weapons that can kill
After reading tonight's story that the commuter train operator who crashed head on into a freight train in Los Angeles killing 25 people ...was texting 22-seconds before the crash....I was reminded of what I witnessed at the intersection of Cedar and South Green Roads last weekend and why its important to always keep our eyes on the road.
A police vehicle with its lights flashing was moving swiftly, dodging in and out of the westbound lane traffic on Cedar Road heading towards me and several other vehicles as we sat stopped at a green light eastbound.
We could all see the officer coming, everyone was stopped in both directions careful to get out of his way, except for a driver who was waiting for the light to turn to make a left hand turn onto Cedar, she never saw the officer coming because her eyes were not fixated on the light and her surroundings, she was eating.
Now we all have probably eaten in our cars on the road, but this person I mean was really eating at the light...only glancing up for half a second and never saw what was about to happen. Just as the officer’s vehicle went through the red light, she hits her gas moving forward to turn left on Green and almost smashes the drivers side of the cruiser.
The driver next to me probably helped avoid a serious accident, he laid on his horn trying to get her attention.
It was just a reminder that no matter the distraction while driving, keeping our eyes on the road first is vital and the law. We are in charge of two-ton vehicles that have the capacity to kill and we should never forget that.
Just a thought.
A police vehicle with its lights flashing was moving swiftly, dodging in and out of the westbound lane traffic on Cedar Road heading towards me and several other vehicles as we sat stopped at a green light eastbound.
We could all see the officer coming, everyone was stopped in both directions careful to get out of his way, except for a driver who was waiting for the light to turn to make a left hand turn onto Cedar, she never saw the officer coming because her eyes were not fixated on the light and her surroundings, she was eating.
Now we all have probably eaten in our cars on the road, but this person I mean was really eating at the light...only glancing up for half a second and never saw what was about to happen. Just as the officer’s vehicle went through the red light, she hits her gas moving forward to turn left on Green and almost smashes the drivers side of the cruiser.
The driver next to me probably helped avoid a serious accident, he laid on his horn trying to get her attention.
It was just a reminder that no matter the distraction while driving, keeping our eyes on the road first is vital and the law. We are in charge of two-ton vehicles that have the capacity to kill and we should never forget that.
Just a thought.
Labels: driving
posted by Romona at
8:40 PM
7 Comments:
You're right Ramona, there are so many distrations on the road, that we need to try harder than ever to focus. I've alwayas tried to be a good driver, especially once our son was born. Not paying attention is not worth the risk. My dad passed away in a car accident in August, and ever since then, I really pay extra attention and do not speed. You would not believe that people that yell at me or show me their finger. I pray that everyone would remember what a strong, powerful thing a vehicle is and drive it with repect for themselves and the other guy.
Hi Jen,
Well said!
The texting while driving is really shocking.
Thanks for reading my blog.
Yea, I go to school over there, and they drive really crazy!! But it is important to watch the road because taking your eyes off the road even for 1 second can be fatal...
It just reminds me that almost 100% of a traffic cop's enforcement is about speed even though in only 23% of all accidents was speed a factor.
I drive about 100 miles a day and have taken to making voice notes as to people's poor driving habits, I average about 50 incidents a week with many not recorded as being unable to get a plate number. I've been run off the road twice this year due to driver inattention, three cigarette butts off my windshield, passed countless cars on the right due to drivers stuck in the left lane talking on the phone (it is inherently more dangerous to have to pass a car that fails to move over and allow traffic to pass in the passing lane and not the sightseeing lane)
I'm tired of the amount of drivers who blatantly violate state and federal laws yet fail to get pulled over by the police such as not having a front plate or no plates at all, miscolored marker lights (like green, red (in front) blue, or white) lift kits of more the 4", tires sticking past fender wells, tinted light covers, tinted plate covers, no turn signals, heavily tinted windows, license plates in front of the third brake light, littering, spitting, rolling through stop signs, parking in front of intersection stops, crossing over solid white lines, crossing over gords, going through red lights, etc etc.
Yet here someone I know got a speeding ticket for doing 39, 41, and 44 in a 35 mph zone! I say ok on the 44, but 39? give me a break especially when I know someone who was caught doing 55 in a 35 and was let go. And then someone like me gets a ticket for doing 62 in a 55 on a controlled access highway in the late evening with hardly any traffic with someone behind me with their highbeams on blinding me and other traffic.
Sorry, but the police do little to nothing for the small offenses and people get away with it, and then one day it catches up and causes a bigger problem. I could do 100mph and not cause any accidents, yet the person who didn't use a turn signal and changed lanes into me and drove me off the road will never get a ticked because the cop a mile down the road didn't see it in his radar gun.
Disgruntled Driver
I feel your pain!
Well, sort of of. If I drove 100 miles a day I'd go mad on the road.
YOu're right about drivers who don't follow the law and the rules of the road...but I must say there are those that are polite.
Like this afternoon my lane ended because of contruction and I needed to merge and an SUV sped up so I couldn't get in and the care behind it politely let me merge.
I waved thanks.
Thanks for chatting.
Whenever I hear an ambulance, I pull over and say a prayer. Seconds can literally mean the difference between life & death as many of us know all too well. Good, courteous driving requires full time and attention and complete focus. If you need to make a call (and you don't have bluetooth) or text, pull over, if not for your sake, for all of the others who share the road with you. We want to live!!
Hey Laura,
You are so right. I went ahead and invested in a hands-free service, because especially during the winter months, I found I could not talk and focus on the roads.
As a matter of fact when the weathers bad, I just tell folks, I can't talk, I've got to concentrate on the road.
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