Throughout Northern California |
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 By Kelly Sullivan Koning & Associates 2007 EBCA Vice President |
Lessons from the Field - Last weekend, I saw the movie “Disturbia”. In one of the earlier scenes in the movie, there is a horrific car accident. I won’t divulge too much to those of you that have not seen it yet, but the scene is hauntingly disturbing and unforgettable. |
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Is it getting older that makes us more aware of our own mortality, or have some of us in this industry simply been exposed to tragedy all too often? Lately, I’ve found myself thinking a lot more about the fragility of life. Maybe it’s because the last two losses I went out on were auto fatalities; on one of them, the insured driver kept telling me over and over how he couldn’t stop thinking about what he could have done differently, how he might have avoided the accident altogether, swerved left instead of right, hit the brake pedal harder...In a feeble attempt to comfort him, I said, “You can’t control the other people on the road. You can only control your own actions.” “Not in my case,” he replied defiantly. “I’ve been driving for thirty years. There has to be something I could have done.” His comment amazed me...you see, the vehicle he had collided with was stalled in a lane on the freeway with no lights on in the dark night. I was frustrated for the insured and yet impressed at his embracement of any potential responsibility he might have had in an instance where he seemed to have absolutely none. Maybe my new obsession comes from hearing how two of my old bosses both lost their daughters recently in tragic car accidents that may have been avoided. In both cases, the girls were younger than I am. It’s human nature, I think, to find a sort of warped sense of comfort in discovering an attributable source to place blame on; a twisted justification to help us distance ourselves from the possibility that our fate might someday end similarly. With the two young girls, there was a strong possibility that alcohol played a part. But even knowing this, do we change our own behavior so that we never drive with any alcohol in our systems? Not likely. Because as impacted as we may be by the news of a situation, we are far enough removed from it to feel safe. Are we safe? What can we do to ensure we live longer lives beyond eating right and exercising? As my exploits in Oakland proved last month, there is risk everywhere we go; that risk does increase when we get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. That risk increases even more when it rains; more when it rains and our tires are in need of replacing; more when we or others are under the influence. Did you know that in California, over 65% of those employed commute 30 miles or more to work daily? Here are some other interesting statistics:
So, while things may be looking up, I’d still like to feel better about what I might do differently while out on the road. Some of these may seem like common sense or even a little corny, but here are some interesting and important driver safety tips I came across in my research for this article:
While it is true, most of us are pretty tough and resilient, unfortunately, sometimes, we subject ourselves to more than we can take without even knowing it. If we consider the risks we are taking and manage them by planning ahead and doing our best to avoid danger, we will all be safer while driving. If you see me out on the road, I promise, I’ll even let you cut in front of me. |
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