Four Accidents In One Day

It didn't happen to me. But that doesn't take away the shock and awe of the occurences. That I had come across four traffic mishaps within eleven hours is an accident in itself. And they all took place within 3km-radius of where I live.

A bus and a Satria. Two buses. Two cars. Lastly, two motorcycles and a car.

Didn't see anybody hurt except the last one, only because I must have come across the first three a while after their occurence. Hope nobody was seriously hurt. Nobody wants a traffic accident. The word accident itself means it is undesirable most of the time. Traffic accidents can cause damage and loss to property, limbs and/or lives. At the least, it is an inconvenience.

The question I'm pondering is: Do we think about accidents when we drive? Or at least, before we start our journey in an automobile. Most times, it crosses our minds only when we witness or come across a disaster.

Would it make us more careful and considerate on the road?

There are loads of traffic accident reports in the news. There are plenty of road-safety campaigns. Grissly pictures of accident scenes, gentle jingles, dramatic enactments and outright morbid signboards abound.

Do we consciously or unconsciously ignore, forget about these lessons when we are behind the wheel? Are we dealing with the 'It happens only to the others' syndrome?

Why must we jump the red-light? Speed? Squeeze into tight spots to move just one car-length ahead? Overtake crawling traffic on the emergency lane? Ignore lane designations? Change lanes indiscriminately? We are all guilty of one or another, one time or another.

Wouldn't these actions risk accidents? We probably don't have that consideration in our minds as we commit the acts. It's always about 'getting there'.

But, will we always get there? Especially if we drive as if we are the only car on the road.

How then can recklessness be curbed? Aside from Big Brother-style strict enforcement, is there a possibility of educating drivers altruistic driving attitudes that will result in a utopian love and practice of such values?

Well, utopian it remains. For we are dealing with human beings. There is, somehow, a grey area in any concept. Even in religion, individual interpretations abound. What more with driving rules and attitudes? We have a great tendency to justify means to an end, and vice-versa. We compromise easily for our sole benefit. How then can we prevent traffic accidents?

As long we are human, we are an accident waiting to happen.

Drive carefully. Pandu Cermat, Jiwa Selamat. Malang Tidak Berbau. Pandulah Sepertimana Anda Mahu Orang Lain Memandu.

God Bless.