Late last fall, a few months before I retired, I was driving myself home on the same street, at the same time of day as I had for the previous 10 years. As I looked down the street at oncoming traffic, I saw a car swerve in and out of their lane and into mine. I recall thinking to myself, "I'd better keep an eye on that car." As the car got closer to me, I thought I was in the clear. However, instead of passing me, the young girl who was driving smashed her car into the side of mine. I think she panicked and stepped on the gas instead of the brake. Thank God no one was hurt. Shaken--yes...stirred--yes...but hurt--no.
Yesterday, while driving on Highway 23, a 2 lane highway going west, we encountered a car coming at us from the opposite direction. I quickly put my hand out of the window in a forceful STOP! (I didn't realize that I could stop the weight of a vehicle and the determination of a total stranger with this simple gesture.) The car came to a slow stop, albeit momentarily. The driver was an elderly and confused man. I felt sorry for him. As he kept driving and stopping, I kept using my hand in the STOP! position. He would stop, then drive ahead. Meantime, traffic was collecting behind us and I feared rear end collisions, or worse. My husband had exited our truck and had rushed over to offer to drive him to safety, but the man refused, while at the same time fiddling with his windshield wipers and radio knobs, as he tried to find reverse gear to back up his car and out of harm's way. My husband did manage to talk him through backing up and getting out of the way. Finally, the police arrived and we were able to continue on our way. This, too, could have been a tragedy. Thankfully, no one was hurt, no vehicles were rear ended, and people behaved civilly. A few drivers even thanked us as they drove by.One day we will be old, surely, we will get confused at one time or another. Perhaps we, too, will try to drive on the wrong side of the road. I hope there is someone there to guide us if this should happen. I hope we have the wisdom to realize that, without those special angels that come along when we need them most, things could turn out a whole lot worse. I hope that yesterday we created some good will, or karma, that will bounce back to us and guide us safely home when we need it most. You just never know.
Recent headons in the news have resulted in horrific crashes and numerous deaths. SC installed these wire barriers on the interstates to cut down on such occurances.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jim. As the population ages I am sure the numbers of traffic fatalities due to older drivers still in control, or lack of control, will be a factor. It is hard to give up our freedom to drive, one would imagine.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I have experienced similar excitement, only as a passenger. We came within 2 feet of being broadsided at an intersection in which he stopped the car in the middle of it, and turned off the engine. That was almost 5 years ago, and the driver's comment was: "that's ok it's your side of the car, anyway". The driver was my elderly father and I took his keys away that day. Then, I sold his car and mine, and got one for the both of us. Until 3 months ago, I was his chauffeur. Now at 90, he cannot walk and is unable to leave the house without 2 pair of extra pants and several "depends" in a carry on. Your husband was a "saint" that day. You're pretty lucky.
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