Respect for Other Commuters Saves Lives

Right now, many in the Tuscaloosa community are mourning the loss of a loved one as a result of a traffic accident. The odd thing about traffic fatalities is that they're usually avoidable.

There's a saying that poor planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine. Basically, this means that just because one person failed to accurately plan, causing him or her to feel a need to rush and redeem time, doesn't mean another person should have the same sense of urgency. In all honesty, rushing to make it to a destination is the cause of MANY unnecessary accidents.

Another is not understanding the dynamics of other moving vehicles. Changing lanes while approaching a red light with a car coming up behind you is vastly different from changing lanes and moving into one with a loaded transfer truck coming behind you! (I learned this one the hard way as I was almost hit by one.) Just the same, it's easier for a person driving a car to slam on breaks than it is for a person on a motorcycle!

Of course, there are some instances where an accident is unavoidable, but one of the safety rules I learned at UPS that I've taken with me throughout my daily life is "Make sure they see you." It's not enough for us to see the vehicles navigating traffic around us. We also have to make sure they see us! This means having on your lights when it's dark, not getting right up on a car before changing lanes to go around (as this places you directly into the blind spot), and not weaving through traffic taking every available space no matter how small. I've also seen far too many accidents caused by people changing lanes without signaling, and they run right into each other.

And driving under the influence.... No need in even trying to explain that one.

We have traffic laws and our vehicles come equipped with safety features for a reason. Following the laws and using given equipment saves not only money on repairs but it also saves lives.