WARNING: RANT AHEAD!
WTF! Why do people insist on multi-tasking when they are driving? I wish people would get it through their heads that when they get behind the wheel of a car they are operating a dangerous and potentially deadly weapon. Distracted driving can be deadly or in my case can result in my car being totalled and B and I getting battered and bruised and having to endure a four hour tour of the local hospital's emergency room.
B and I were driving home last Tuesday night when some idiot crossed the double yellow line about 100 feet in front of us, B pulled as close to the parked cars on our side of the road as he could and came to a complete stop and the idiot drove right into us head on. The jerk didn't even see us until the last second right before he smashed into us. There were skid marks from our vehicle being pushed backwards but the idiot never even hit his breaks.
I thought the guy must have been drunk but apparently he dropped a cigarette and leaned over to pick it up, crossed the double yellow and ruined our night/week/month.... I was surprised the police didn't give him a field sobriety test but they did cite him for marked lanes violation and impeded operation.
Thankfully B and I weren't badly injured but it looks like our little love bug may be totalled. We're still waiting for the appraiser to make that determination. I wish we had been in my big truck instead of the little bug but I'm thankful the other guy wasn't in a truck because he would have driven right on top of us. We're both really achy on our left sides, have some back and neck pain, a few bruises and still feel sore all over almost a week later.
It's crazy how quickly things can change from a normal drive home to a trip to the ER. One minute we're driving down the same road we've driven down thousands of times when all of a sudden some idiot gets distracted and crosses the double yellow line and comes right at us head on. I just couldn't believe the guy could drive that far and swerve into our lane without looking up.
I've heard Oprah on her soapbox about getting everyone to sign a pledge to stop texting and driving but ANY distraction can be dangerous. When you are behind the wheel you shouldn't be talking on the phone, texting, putting on make-up, reading, eating, drinking, shaving, changing your clothes, turning around to yell at the kids, looking down to find a dropped cigarette or anything that takes your eyes off the road even for a second. Please be safe out there, wear your seat belt and do whatever you can to stay safe and out of harm's way.
Be safe out there.
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What a terrifying experience - I'm so glad you're both (virtually) OK. Hope the aches, pains and bruises are easing up for you by now. You are so right about a car being a deadly weapon - most drivers seem to think of it as more of a toy :-(
ReplyDeleteACK!!! I didn't know you were in a wreck girl!! Thank God you guys are ok...sorry about the Bug. :( Glad you're joining the challenge!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that happened, but I'm glad you are OK!!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are okay! My bosses car got totalled by someone texting - WHY do people continue to do it I will never know...
ReplyDeleteI agree! Almost every time I get out on the highway, I meet at least one person per day coming at me on MY side of the road.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a narrow escape you guys experienced. Thankfully you're only in pain ;-)
ReplyDeleteToo bad he didn't drop his ciggie in his lap and burst into flames.
Did you get to yell at him?
When I'm through being grateful that you're both okay, I'll join in your rant. But for now, I'm just going to be grateful!
ReplyDeleteOMG - I am so glad you both are okay!! I agree, cars are so dangerous. People take advantage of such a powerful machine and don't realize they could kill someone. It takes just a split second and someones life is gone.
ReplyDeleteI AM SO GLAD YOU ARE OKAY!
Chrissie: It was terrifying. My heart starts racing every time I think about the guy coming at us and there was nowhere to go and nothing we could do about it. We were so lucky to get out of it with bumps and bruises.
ReplyDeleteTammy: Oh, the poor bug ;( I'm looking forward to making progress on the weight loss front in August even if I couldn't go to the gym last week per doctor's orders.
Kyra: Damn city drivers. At least in VT the roads are wider with more space to dodge around the crazies.
Katie J: It's scary how many people don't have a clue what's going on around them.
Jo: I see people breaking the law every single day and it doesn't matter how safe of a driver you are, it's the other guy you have to worry about.
Janell: I didn't get a chance to scream at him but Bill did. Bill jumped out of the car and chased the guy down the street because we thought he was going to try to run away from the scene. I thought Bill was going to kill him but he restrained himself until the police got there. I hope the idiot has a big burn hole on his stick shift.
Cammy: I'm grateful too. It could have been so much worse.
Jen: Oh Jen, my accident seems so trivial when I think about what happened to your Mom. It only took a split second for your whole family's life to change because of a motor vehicle accident. We were so lucky.
You poor things! So glad that you weren't seriously hurt. I know the car being totalled is a pain but hey it's just a machine right... our health is much more important. Hope you start feeling back to normal soon.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'm so glad you two are okay. I'm sorry about your little bug though :(
ReplyDeleteMy sister rolled and totalled her first car because she reached down to tune the radio and swerved (then over-corrected) off the road. Fortunately no other cars were involved, but she scared the junk out of my mother-and herself, I'm sure.
Oh no! Well the only saving grace is that you can replace a car, you can't replace yourselves! Glad you got out of it with just bumps and bruises.
ReplyDeleteMy family was in a car accident when I was four. A 16 year old girl (yep, 16!) was drunk, t-bagged us and we went head first into a telephone pole.
Everyone in my family was hurt pretty bad except me - I just had a big bruise on my face from hitting the passenger seat (I was sitting, of course unbuckled since it was 1972, in the middle back seat).
After a few months, my bruise turned into a dent - and now I only have one dimple!
OMG, your comment on my blog had me laughing out loud - I have actually never heard of spanking on the Frank's hot sauce!!
yeah there are some scary drivers out there! I spend a lot of time in the car because of my commute and I have seen people do just about everything in the car. women in the morning are always putting on makeup or brushing their hair, and I see guys reading news papers when traffic is backed up. sometimes in construction zones! Im glad you are ok and look out for the crazy drivers!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you were both okay. You are right that anything can be a distration. I had a friend who got into an accident when she reached behind her to pick up a toy for her baby. She was okay, but did flip the car upside down. Very scary.
ReplyDeleteI applaud you (and Oprah!) for addressing this issue that can affect our health. People need to think about the consequences. You could kill yourself or someone else. Who could live everyday knowing that you'd killed or crippled another person when it was completely avoidable?
ReplyDeleteglad everyone escaped injury...
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling, it's horrible but am glad you are all ok!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to drop by and say hi. I use to blog a LONG time ago but am starting up a new blog. I hope you'll stop by. :)
-Carla at asthescaleturns.com
I saw this post a couple of days ago but didn't read it all. Gosh, what an idiot! People just don't think! SOOOO glad you guys are alright. He totally could have killed someone!
ReplyDeleteYou poor bugger! I agree... when you are driving, that's ALL you should be doing!
ReplyDeleteI agree, you shouldn't do anything else when driving. Glad you are both ok.
ReplyDeleteCrazylady: Exactly...the car is just a machine and we weren't seriously injured so I'm thankful for that.
ReplyDelete99ToGo: Oh, I'm so glad your sister and mother were ok other than getting the junk scared out of them. I bet your sister learned her lesson about taking her eyes off the road, even for a second.
Biz: I'm so sorry to hear about your family's accident. I'm surprised any of us survived our childhoods since none of the cars even had seat belts back then. I can remember driving in the way way back of the station wagon. Your one dimple looks adorable though ;). I bet you'll never be able to use Frank's hot sauce again without thinking of that slogan. Spank it!
Heather: That's exactly the reason I'd rather take the train into the city than drive. There are just so many people doing everything but paying attention to the road, never mind all the potholes and other obstacles you have to maneuver around. Stay safe.
Diane: I'm glad your friend and her baby were ok. It's just so scary when you have no control over what the other person is doing.
Karen: I know I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if I caused someone pain that could have been avoided.
Cooper: Me too. I love your picture. I've always been a fan of "Animal."
Carla: Glad to see you started another blog. I'll definitely stop by and check it out.
Debbi: We're lucky, it definitely could have been much worse.
Chris H: I think we all need to realize that we don't have to multitask every second of the day.
Vicki: Just drive.
Thanks again to everyone for all the well wishes and support. It's crazy how many people have had similar stories about accidents with distracted drivers. Be on the lookout for them and stay safe.