There
was one instance that happened a while back that has helped me realize how
important it is to remove distractions while driving.
I
was driving home one day after work. During this time, heavy road construction
was being done to rebuild a bridge along the K-10 route. Due to the road
construction, the road narrowed down to one lane going both ways.
The
one lane caused traffic to slow dramatically. Therefore, I thought it would be
okay to pull up the map to try to find a Papa Murphy’s so I could pick up a
pizza and have a relaxing Friday night.
However,
as I started to pull up the map, the traffic on the highway opened up and I was
able to speed up. At this time, I should have put my phone away and focused on
the road.
While
I was accessing the map, I took my eyes off the road for less than three
seconds. It was at this moment the whole line of cars in front of me had
come close to a complete stop. But I was still going 50 miles an hour. As
I saw my life flash before my eyes, I instantly dropped my phone, slammed
on my brakes and prayed I would stop in time.
Unfortunately
… I did not. Instead, I barreled into the car in front of me, pushing it
into another and that into another. In sum, there were four vehicles that were
completely totaled in this incident.
Luckily,
I was wearing my seat belt, and no one involved was seriously injured. But
there were a lot of mistakes in this situation made by me. In conclusion, an
extremely chaotic and costly accident could have been avoided entirely if I
hadn’t allowed the phone or map to distract me. I hope everyone learns from my
mistakes.
Caleb
is originally from Topeka. He now teaches in Lawrence.
Thanks for sharing this story, Caleb. Very thankful you and the other drivers/passengers escaped serious injury. It only takes a moment of distraction to cause a crash. Let's all learn from your experience. - Steve Hale
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example of drivers needing to follow their instinct to "do better". Caleb, I too have been in the position where I thought my driving skills were good enough that I could navigate somewhere on my phone, knowing that I should never have picked it up in the first place. Often times, drivers are over confident in their abilities and put themselves (and others) at risk by making poor choices. We should change the mindset of "that will never happen to me" to "that could have been me!" Thanks for sharing! Glad you and all others made it out without serious injuries.
ReplyDeleteI see this everyday. People texting and driving. Something that terrifies me. I have a hard enough time paying attention to other drivers, the road, and my driving. You add a phone in that mix. Well....I'd probably be in your shoes or worse. Very inspiring story! People just need to understand that even the best of can't have distractions like that that takes their eyes off the road. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for so clearly showing how accidents can happen when driving distracted. So glad no one was seriously injured. We appreciate you for speaking up.
ReplyDeleteCaleb, appreciate your candor. Life has it hard knocks but we all can and should learn from your experience less we want to put ourselves in that situation. Phone down, buckle up! - David LaRoche
ReplyDeleteAll those distractions in our vehicles can be so tempting! I agree that the risks are not worth the short-term reward of "multi-tasking" while driving. Getting home safely to my family is reward enough!
ReplyDelete