We see statistics everywhere, but we never expect to be part of them. On May 4th, 2022, I became part of the statistics, but not by choice. It was around noon when I was driving with heavy rain weather conditions. I was driving slower than usual because I could feel that something was not working fine. I have always heard people saying that life flashes before your eyes before something difficult happens. Everything happened very quickly, one minute I was listening to the radio, and the next my car was spinning in circles in a high-speed road. I tried to get control of the car but was in vain. I ended up stopping next to the guardrail facing the opposite way on the highway. The airbag from the passenger side went off and I was shaking. I remember thinking before the car came to a stop that I was probably going to die. I was very unsure about what to do, but thankfully the car was not in the way of the other cars. The visibility was very difficult so if my car wasn’t fully against the guardrail other cars could have easily hit me, and directly at me because as I said I was facing the traffic. I was shaking and I could see the cars passing merely inches away from me. So, I called 911 and told them that I just had a car accident and that I was not sure about what I should do. The operator was very reassuring and asked me if I know where I was. I had no idea about where I was, but I knew I had recently passed by a town, but that there were no toll entries in miles. I had never before that day pay any attention to mile markers. I could barely see it from where I was, and I was very nervous. Till this day I remember mile marker 902 and every time I drive by, I remember that day. I am fully aware that if a small thing had been different, I could have been part of a different statistic. Thankfully my car had minor damage and I only had a terrible back pain from the impact.
That could have been prevented if I had more experience and education in what to do in a case like that. Everyday we get into a car we faced unknown circumstances. I don’t know if the person driving next to me is driving well or if they are falling sleep behind the wheel. We sometimes cannot avoid those situations, but we can educate ourselves and other in how to react to those situations. In my situation there were no cars around me when that happened, but the other cars that were passing next to me did not had time to react and move to the other lane. We always need to be aware of our surroundings especially when conditions are not optimal to drive safely.
After what happened that day, I always try to be very aware of the way I drive and the weather conditions before driving anywhere. The best thing we can do for the wellbeing of ourselves, and others is to be very aware when driving. Pay attention to your surroundings and not only yourself. Often time I see people on their phones when waiting for the light to change and just start moving when the light changes to green without paying attention to the cars that did not stop when the light was red. The other car would be in the wrong, but it is a situation that could have been avoided.
Safe roads involve not only safe infrastructures but also safe users. We are all road users when we drive, walk, ride the streets. We can all be affected by someone not using the resource safely. Even if you are not the one driving you need to create conscience in others about best practices when driving. If a friend is using their phone when driving, you can let them know that you don’t feel comfortable with the way they are driving. If a friend is aggressively driving, ask them to breathe and calm down. If a friend is speeding remind them that it is better be a little bit late than not be at all. And if you are the one doing all these things, think twice about not only how your life would be affected but how others could be affected as well. My life was changed that May 4th, now I would not only remember the Star Wars reference (May the force be with you) but also the day that things could have been worse but weren’t.