Yesterday afternoon the clear sky and warm dry air amplified the call of the highway. Who could resist? The day was perfect for opening the windows and the throttle, enjoying gas while we can still afford it, to take a look at the West Virginia countryside.
Beautiful.
Until you give yourself license to spend a few seconds tuning the radio, lighting a cigarette, picking up a phone call.
Driving a car is not as easy as we have convinced ourselves it is.
Just ask the medical examiner ~ yes, she was needed because of this accident. Sure, three out of the four people in these two cars made it to the hospital. But I heard the EMS tech tell a young man's mother, "He didn't make it." Moments later, after the father arrived, mother and father sobbing in each other's embrace, two women - strangers until today - stroked the backs of grieving parents. The beautiful summer had lost its sun.
Be careful, please. Let the phone ring. Listen to that ad one more time. Let the CD changer do its job. You've got your own job to do.
You are driving a car - and you could ruin a beautiful sunny day.
1 comment:
It's always sad to hear about a tragedy like this one.
I personally believe driving a car is easy - multitasking is hard. I often hear "Sorry, could you repeat that, I was multitasking" while on phone meetings at work. My reply is "you are serial-tasking and put us on hold". You can't put the car on "hold" while you finish your burger.
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