“IT CAN WAIT”
The weather was perfect for a Fall weekend in the Northeast. Crisp. Calm. Blue sky. Partly sunny. Just perfect.
As I set out for my afternoon run, I made sure I was more colorful than the changing landscape around me….bright orange shirt and light blue shorts. It wasn’t a fashion statement, but more a safety precaution to ensure that drivers could see me as I ran along the side of a country road.
Living in a rural area, traffic was expected to be light except for a 1/2 mile stretch where the shoulder is narrow and cars travel at 55 mph. This section always creates a heightened sense of awareness and anxiety for me, but over the years I’ve gotten use to it.
As I made the left turn onto the busier part of the route, the sun was bright and the upcoming blind corner suddenly revealed a vehicle coming my way. At first, I wasn’t too concerned, as traffic was expected. But as the vehicle got closer, it’s trajectory began to change…drifting gradually towards the side of the road, in my direction. As I continued forward, I felt paralyzed, helpless, and unsure what to do. Slowly, its tires pierced the white line onto the shoulder where I was and I could hear the gravel being struck. I quickly moved further off the shoulder into the ditch of tall grass, as the car seemed to accelerate in my direction. I was out of time and space…the car was upon me.
Time seemed to freeze as I looked into the passenger window. I could see the driver, what they were doing, the color of their eyes and hair, their expression and an approximate age. Suddenly, the driver saw me, realized the imminent danger and jerked the wheel sharply, returning to their lane. Disaster averted. Thank God.
It started and ended in a blink of an eye. In fact, it happened so fast I didn’t have “time for my life to flash in front of my eyes” or react much at all. I was numb. I had no anger. No fear. Nothing. All I felt was a sense of relief and gratitude that both the driver and I were safe, and that I couldn’t wait to get home and see my family to share this experience.
As a sat later, recalling and retelling the story, I purposely excluded the age, sex, make and model of the vehicle , and what the driver was doing because none of that was the real point. In fact, it wasn’t about one specific person, place, type or thing. It’s simply about the risk of distracted driving…whatever the cause. Distracted driving injures almost 400,000 a year and is to blame for at least 8% of fatal car accidents. It comes in many “shapes and sizes” performed by many different demographics. In the end, all distracted driving is dangerous and applies to everyone. It may include eating, drinking beverages, talking on the phone, reading, texting, applying makeup, watching videos, taking pictures or changing music as a few examples. All of these activities can distract us just long enough to miss seeing a child waiting for a school bus, an animal crossing the street or in my case, a runner along the side the road.
The reality is, that driver could have been me. That’s right, I am embarrassed to admit that I too am guilty of distracted driving at times. I won’t go into the details but admit this experience has forced me to look at my own driving behavior and the risks distracted driving poses to myself, my family and others. It also prompted me share this story to raise awareness that we all must “wait” and avoid any distracting behavior that could cause harm to ourselves and others while driving.
A highway sign I later saw stated it perfectly:
“Whatever it is…It can wait.”
Join me in “waiting”.