Traffic accidents
Well, a few friends of mine broke their bones and legs during a very normal drive to work or back home, etc. Nothing special, but it just happened out of nowhere. Just that fact makes me kinda more scared than I was before, even though I drive for years and was never involved in any serious traffic accident.
They say only motorcycles are really that dangerous, but is that so? Perhaps cars are as dangerous as motorcycles are.
I mean it's all about safety after all, to get to the place you want to get to safely without any harm.
So, I mean, atleast can someone tell me what is the most important thing to consider about all this?
Thank you
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Being different is very normal.
Almost everything you do in life has some element of danger associated with it. If you were focused on removing all possibilities of death and injury, you would essentially avoid life. And that would be a waste of actually living. Driving can be dangerous but factor in probability. Many accidents and deaths from driving are attributed to (1) drinking alcohol and driving, (2) drug abuse and driving, (3) talking on a cell phone and driving, and (4) excessive driving speed. If you avoid those main causes, you will most likely avoid accidents. You may not be able to control the actions of other drivers, but you can control your own. And if you learn defensive driving techniques and implement them, you can generally avoid most accidents.
[I have been driving for almost 55 years now. I have driven more than a million miles (1.6 million km.) I have had two minor accidents during that time. Both occurred when I was in my teens.]
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Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."
Well, to be honest, there are certain situations in driving where you can't really do much, especially if it's some crazy guy behind the steering wheel and just finished drinking a full bottle of Whiskey. When you are in your car and such person comes nearby, you can be the most careful driver in the world and still get hit by the drunk person.
Following these rules you mentioned can definitely minimize the chances of an accident, but when it comes to someone else about to hit you and you've got nowhere to run to, nothing you do will change a thing.
I won't stop driving like everyone else because I'm scared to do so, but there must be some signs of noticing drunk drivers on the road so I can get away from them before they hit me first.
I can have 100% perfect driving, but if the other driver near me is some crazy dude who ran away from a psychiatric hospital, or some suicidal freak, I'm history no matter what I do at that moment.
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Being different is very normal.
Following these rules you mentioned can definitely minimize the chances of an accident, but when it comes to someone else about to hit you and you've got nowhere to run to, nothing you do will change a thing.
I won't stop driving like everyone else because I'm scared to do so, but there must be some signs of noticing drunk drivers on the road so I can get away from them before they hit me first.
I can have 100% perfect driving, but if the other driver near me is some crazy dude who ran away from a psychiatric hospital, or some suicidal freak, I'm history no matter what I do at that moment.
That is where defensive driving comes in.
For example a drunk driver often will drive erratically. They will slowly veer off their lane and then quickly get back on. They will speed up and then slow down. Whenever is see a car displaying those traits, I give them a very, very wide berth.
I generally follow the rule of one car length distance for every 10 miles per hour speed I am driving. This give me sufficient time to react.
Because I am an Aspie, I totally focus when I am driving. I do not allow distractions. (no conversations, cell phones, GPS systems) and I constantly scan the road around me so I have 360 degree awareness. It makes me a very safe driver.
_________________
Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."
Following these rules you mentioned can definitely minimize the chances of an accident, but when it comes to someone else about to hit you and you've got nowhere to run to, nothing you do will change a thing.
I won't stop driving like everyone else because I'm scared to do so, but there must be some signs of noticing drunk drivers on the road so I can get away from them before they hit me first.
I can have 100% perfect driving, but if the other driver near me is some crazy dude who ran away from a psychiatric hospital, or some suicidal freak, I'm history no matter what I do at that moment.
That is where defensive driving comes in.
For example a drunk driver often will drive erratically. They will slowly veer off their lane and then quickly get back on. They will speed up and then slow down. Whenever is see a car displaying those traits, I give them a very, very wide berth.
I generally follow the rule of one car length distance for every 10 miles per hour speed I am driving. This give me sufficient time to react.
Because I am an Aspie, I totally focus when I am driving. I do not allow distractions. (no conversations, cell phones, GPS systems) and I constantly scan the road around me so I have 360 degree awareness. It makes me a very safe driver.
I'm pretty sure being an Aspie brings more driving safety to some extent. With that, I agree, man.
But I think you're being too confident about this. You can be a careful and responsible driver, and you can have your techniques of avoiding crazy or drunk drivers. But you can't 100% avoid an accident. And to tell you the truth, I've got to know very careful drivers who thought they couldn't be more safe than ever, and they're dead now.
However, we gotta watch ourselves and follow rules, I agree. That minimizes chances of an accident.
I just think, generally, you sound like you believe in your driving skills too deeply that you think you're perfect with your driving. You can't be perfect, man. Forget about perfect.
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Being different is very normal.
No, I wouldn't say that. Accidents can alway happen. But I do have split second reflexes. Last week I was driving down the road. I saw a blur. I instinctively took my foot off the gas and put it on the brake. Then my eyes focused on the blur and it was a deer. So I applied sufficient pressure to bring the car to a full stop within one foot of the deer. Then I peered into my rear view mirror. I had noticed a few seconds prior that a vehicle behind me was driving too close, so I wanted to make sure that he was not going to rear end me. Otherwise I might try and swerve around the deer. All that occurred within 2 seconds of time.
I am 70 and I suspect that I will lose some of my split second reflexes as I get older and will probably become more accident prong.
There is one more factor and that is traffic density. When I was young I lived in Los Angeles in California. Which is a merging of thousands of cities. The metropolitan area of Los Angeles stretches from the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica on the west side to San Bernardino on the east side, a distance of approximately 80 miles. It stretches from the San Fernando Valley on the north side to Mission Viejo on the south side, a distance of around 80 miles. It is a gigantic maze of continuous houses tied together by hundreds of thousands of streets. Driving in large cities can be very stressful. Accidents are more common. But now I live in the countryside. Very low density. It is peaceful driving. The probability of an accident is relatively low.
The other thing is that I drive a stick shift and I find it gives me more control than an automatic. I also have converted my tires to snow tires year round. They give me greater control when driving on black ice, or in the snow, or in the rain or hail storms. And I like the extra measure of control in driving.
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Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."
nick007
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Location: was Louisiana but now Vermont in capitalistic military dictatorship called USA
It's impossible to avoid some accidents. My mom got in a few accidents in the past while she was waiting at a stop light. One time a speeding car crashed into a car that was a few cars behind my mom & there was a domino effect where one car slammed into another & that car slammed into another ect. Another time my mom was waiting at a light & was in front waiting for the light to turn green & someone turning turned into her lane & hit the front of her car.
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