The dangers of the road.

“Arrive alive.” “Speed kills.” “If you speed, you are a killer.” We see all these signs on the side of the road, yet we find ourselves speeding at 150km p/h on the open road. Maybe we like the rush or are in plain language…speed freaks.

I use to be a maniac on the road. My record for most speeding fines in one month is ten. I think the total for them were close to R2000. This stopped the moment when I was a victim of a car crash, well actually it was a bakkie on a dirt road and there were no other vehicles involved. I wasn’t the one driving though. My point is, I was in the hospital for four days and it wasn’t nice. I was lucky, it could have been worse. I literally was superman for a few seconds as I was flying through the air and ended up underneath the bakkie. I really did see my life flash in front of my eyes. I thought I was dead. The sad thing is that something terrible always has to happen to us before we learn our lesson, and sometimes we still don’t learn.

I’m writing about this, because yesterday I drove past a massive car crash on the N1. It was on the other side, so all I saw was a car laying on its roof, smashed like potatoes, a truck halfway on the road and halfway into the bushes, a whole lot of flashing red and blue lights and paramedics running around like crazy chickens. I immediately burst into tears and phoned my mother to calm me down. The rest of the cars were at a total standstill for kilometers as they could not pass the scene.

I realized that could have been anyone, somebody you know or somebody with a family who is waiting at home for that person/s to arrive. We don’t ask for something like that to happen and we certainly don’t want it to happen, but it still does and there is nothing we can do about it. Imagine driving home, you can’t wait to go watch your favorite T.V series and the next thing you know you are lying face down between your car and the ground hanging on a thread. We can still drive safe. Don’t speed, don’t get road rage, check your blind spot, use your mirrors and your indicators, pump your tires regularly etc. This may prevent some road accidents.

Life is precious and short. Be careful and responsible and definitely on the lookout for all the ‘idiots’ driving in front, behind and next to you. Arrive alive people!! J