Reporter: Mike Pickford
Driving is something a lot of us take for granted. So is safety. When the two are combined, it’s only natural that we feel secure. And the majority of people have good reason to be.
I was part of the minority once. Not so long ago in fact.
As a young adult, I had that air of invincibility most young adults have, whether that’s in regards to sports, fighting, or indeed driving.
It’s this arrogance that causes us to do irrational things at the worst times. For example – reckless driving in the winter.
I’m guilty of the above statement.
In January, on my way to school one morning, I was driving along highway 7A just outside of Port Perry. Slush covered the road, snow dropped from the sky and wind battered everything it could.
But still I wasn’t concentrating. Turns out I was following the car in front a little too closely and by the time I saw the brake lights it was too late.
I swerved, but the slush took control. I flew around the car in front, doing a 180 degrees spin, taking out a mail box and before landing in the ditch, smashing into an electric pole and flipping my car once there.
Amazingly, to those that had pulled over and to myself, I climbed out of the wreckage completely fine. Not a scratch on my body.
I was told I was lucky to survive that day. Time and time and time again.
But the accident really got me thinking. Do we only truly realize how mortal we are when we’ve experienced something like that?
To a certain extent, I’d have to say yes. I was so confident nothing like that would ever happen to me. But that’s how the majority think right? And that’s something that has to change. I’ve learned to respect the roads, respect the conditions, and more importantly, respect myself.
I agree, it’s a little bit pathetic that it took something as serious as this to make me realize that. A mistake. A lack of concentration. That’s all it takes. I just hope that by reading this, you won’t make the same mistakes I did. Drive safely. It’s in your best interest.
