Still Alive!

I am still processing the collision that I almost had with a car that sped through the intersection and ran a red light. One moment I was inching my way to make a left turn and the next thing I know he was right in front of me, almost like a blur. The poor brake pads probably ached in agony at the demand I had to place on them. 

The taxi driver who followed me chatted me up at the next intersection and said I did a good job averting that crisis. With the speed that car was going, he could have rammed directly onto me on the driver's side door and sent me on a tailspin straight to a hospital bed had I been just a few more inches in. Thank God for protection and the good sense to approach crossings slowly!

That incident this morning was a scare but it's sadly not my first driving along the streets of NYC. Reckless drivers abound and you have to be responsible and be on the defense all the time. People would cut you off out of nowhere, make sudden stops or turns without warning, or run red lights. I was rear-ended by a ten-wheeler a few years ago because he was probably sleepy or not paying attention (though he never admitted to anything). I think I still have PTSD from that because every time I spot a truck (on my back, beside, or approaching me), I cringe.

Admittedly, I've been careless a few times in the past (i.e., not making a full stop at STOP signs, violated speed limits, drove on the shoulder, took pictures while driving, etc.). But after that encounter with the truck, I reformed my ways because I shouldn't expect others to follow the rules of the road if I myself wouldn't. There's too many things at stake when you get into a car accident. You could jeopardize not just your life but of those involved. Is ruining someone's future really worth going 10 miles over the speed limit just so you could make it to work on time? Leave home early!

I'm still a little shaken but grateful that I could live another day to tell this story.

Drive with caution.