On a more serious note I had a very long day today. This morning, I was driving one of our transports through town when I had a vehicle that was sitting still waiting to turn suddenly do it when I was less than 60 feet from them.
First lets look at the physics. I was driving a truck that when fully loaded weighs 40 tons. The other driver had a vehicle that might have weighed 1 ton. I was doing the speed limit, which was 35 mph. To say that I turned his truck into a pile of scrap metal. The other driver did suffer injuries. When I ran back to the scene he was knocked unconscious from the collision. Multiple witnesses stated that he had been sitting stationary for a while before surprising everyone by turning in front of me. The circumstantial evidence points to the possibility of him being distracted possibly by texting and driving.
People, that cell phone is not worth your life, or your possessions. There wasn't a single thing on his pile of scrap truck that was salvageable. The truck I drove on the other hand suffered superficial damage due to the pipe bumpers we have on the front. I received no citation for the accident and honestly he should receive one for 'Failure to yield to oncoming traffic'.
Today's technology can be a blessing, but it can also be a crutch and drag you down with it. Don't be a slave to the technology. Instead of texting someone, have an 'old fashioned' face to face conversation. You would be amazed at how nice it can be.
I spend most of the day doing drug screens and writing accident reports. I sincerely hope that the driver that pulled out in front of me will be ok although I know he sustained some injuries.
So be careful when driving and keep your head on a swivel. I was watching him as I approached and he still surprised me. All I could do was brake and brace for the impact keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel. I know that's what kept me from going off the road or hitting others.
Glad you weren't hurt. They should install automatic phone jammers in vehicles.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you were able to prevent this accident and you weren't hurt. People texting or using the cell phone while driving should be banned from driving.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard for me to feel sorry for some idiot that causes a wreck by doing something well known to be unwise if not outright illegal. I hope you don't get into trouble with your company over it.
ReplyDeleteI'm fortunate my company immediately realized that I was not at fault. We talked about it and came to the conclusion that there was nothing I could do to avoid it.
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