Did I Look Both Ways... and Then Again?

The other day while driving home from work, traffic started to increase and slow. Then I saw a couple of police cars and then I saw a fire truck up ahead. As I neared the center part of the scene, I discovered that a motorcycle had been hit by a car, and the driver was lying in the middle of the road as the police and firemen worked on caring for the driver and clearing the scene.

It really bothered me to see this guy there.  He wasn’t moving. Of course my first thoughts were to send him prayers and wish him well. I like to throw a couple of angels his way myself, but to each his own.

Then I saw the driver of the car. He was standing looking upset. He had one hand on his hip and the other hand raised up to his forehead if to say, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that I did this.”

See here is the thing with that… DUDE, you did hit this guy! How easily could that be you or I?

Are we in so much of a hurry that we don’t really look anymore? I know sometimes I catch myself on auto-pilot. Then when I snap out of it, I shudder, then I thank God that nothing bad happened because in that exact moment, there is a lot that could happen.

Are we forgetting that we are driving around in vehicles that weigh an average of 4000 pounds?

“The E.P.A.'s weight statistics show that the average weight of a 2003 car or light-duty truck, peaked at 4,079 pounds. ... The figures take into account the sales volumes of different models. 

The agency expects the 2004 model year to finish with an average weight of 4,066 pounds, for example, a 2001 Nissan Altima weighs 2945 pounds but a Ford Cargo Van tips the scales at 5271 pounds.  (per wiki.answers.com)

On an average, today’s  drivers tend to be part of the SUV or Minivan generation or we go to the ‘green’ extreme with a Toyota Prius tipping the scales at a mere 2932 pounds, including the 600 pound battery, or an even smaller car like the Mini Cooper that barely peaks at 2568 pounds.   

Regardless, that is still a couple of thousand pounds... add a little gravity and some wrong place, wrong time and then I ask, Can you see the damage that can be done to a passenger or driver of a large car or truck? And that is two cars crashing. Remember the guy lying in the street? His Yamaha YZF-R6 was a whopping 417 pounds.

(Not actual picture- courtesy of azcentral.com)

Whatever the size of your car, it hurts. The impact from being hit by a larger car, like the majority of the cars that are out there right now… the SUV’s, you are going to cause even more serious damage. And this is not just to a person’s physical body, but a small car crash causes financial stress in paying for damages, lost  and repair time or worse... someone's life, a husband or a father. The potential cost is so much more than the price of a repair bill. 

Now I know that we live in this generation where we have things to do and places to go and perhaps not enough time in the day …  but life is too short to cut someone else’s short.  

My point with all of this is, People… Slow the F@$& Down!