It is now thirty eight years since I started driving a car! I have had a few roadside accidents. The last one was 18 years ago.
Yesterday, on my way to work, I was overtaking a parked vehicle on the road side with no indicator light on. Just as I was parallel to that vehicle the driver started the parked vehicle and moved toward the road and hit the side and rear of the car that I was driving.
The result was damage to the both the doors.
I stopped the car and reached towards the station wagon. The driver had a divergent squint, which made me realise that he would not have seen me overtaking his parked vehicle.
I have been generally careful to observe parked vehicles. It is the indicator light that helps to know if the vehicle is parked and is ready to move. If the indicator lights are off, it is a message that the vehicle is stationary. I was actually at least a meter away from the vehicle in that narrow road. And yet it was not sufficient to escape the accident.
I kept wondering whether I was alert! I did notice the vehicle from a distance and had moved away to the right side with enough distance away from the parked vehicle. The people who gathered, as it is usually the case at the time of a road side accident, was curious to comment. The sympathy usually goes towards the person who suffered. In this case the bumper of the station wagon which hit the car was solid with just a trace of white paint from my car. And yet the people seemed to blame me for not being careful. But the driver who had a squint confessed that he had not looked in his rear mirror before starting the car and moving to the middle of the road. That confession comforted me.
I keep thinking about the driving risk a little more these days. I still like driving. But there is a flow of vehicles in both directions on roads and sometimes one wonders whether drivers are strict with road manners and driving rules.
I was early yesterday and did not need to rush. I was looking forward to a few good things awaiting me in the day. Instead of going to the hospital I had to go to the garage to give the vehicle for body works. The technicians at the garage were most helpful.
I did feel unsettled as I arrived in the hospital after all these. It took a while to get back to be present to what I had to do.
While driving one expects the other drivers to be responsible and considerate. My suspicion is that such good practices are less common as people appear to be in a hurry on the road. Therefore one's safety is more from one's own extra careful effort to anticipate trouble and avoid it. For me it is clear now that a stationary vehicle can start any time and the driver might not be alert to look around before he or she decides to move towards the centre of the road.
Learning is a process. In that process, one tends to have surprise occasions, which would make us to pause and learn insights!
I have realised from this instance that we can encounter unexpected events all the time. I felt shocked initially, but recovered to act promptly! I know safety on road is a concern. So extra caution is needed.
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