We’re back to blaming our car wrecks on the weather, and the traffic, and the pot holes, and we refer to these pile-ups as “accidents”. Not so. Our unwillingness to keep our brakes adjusted and our tires in good shape is not accidental. Our being distracted by all of the digital toys in our cars is also not accidental.
If you are looking at the GPS and expanding the map, or separating a dispute among the children in your car, these activities are not accidental. If you’re last-second changing lanes to make your turn, and another car clips you, it’s also not accidental.
Even the D.O.T men and the news reporters do not refer to these incidents as “accidents” anymore, but rather as crashes. So, as you make your way through the roads and streets of the life you live, if you opt to ignore the road conditions under you and around you, it could result in a pile-up of your very own.
Notwithstanding the pedestrians, pot holes, glare from the sun, rain, puddles, gravel, stop signs, idiot drivers, construction, blowing sand, and every debauchery allowed under the Napoleonic Code, these are all included in “road conditions”. Driving includes making allowances for each and all of these.
Back in the ‘60s, there was a song that said “Keep your mind on your driving. Keep your hands on the wheel. Keep your snoopy eyes on the road ahead.” Still good advice. And while you’re doing all of that, don’t forget to check your mirrors and your gauges. On second thought, never mind. I know cars don’t come with gauges anymore.
Esther Ramos
