I’ve been jumping out of planes lately (with a parachute), and it’s striking how safety-conscious everyone is. It was a real contrast to the drive home where I watched SO MANY drivers tailgating. You might think of tailgating as when someone drives right up on the next car’s bumper, but it’s more than that. Let’s say you’re driving at a leisurely 65 miles per hour, which may be unrealistic on a Texas highway, but stay with me here. Something happens with the car ahead of you. If there aren’t at least ten car lengths between you and that car, you could be in a rear-ender before you even have time to put your foot on the brake.
Yes, ten car lengths. Now think about how many people you see following at that distance. Not many.
It takes us about ¾ of a second to perceive an issue (IF we’re paying close attention) and then another ¾ of a second to do something about it. So 1.5 seconds to even start to react, under the absolute best circumstances. If you’re driving at 65 miles per hour, you’ve covered 142 feet during those 1.5 seconds.
I’ve deposed plenty of people who proudly tell me they leave two or three car lengths between them (less than 45 feet) and the next car when they’re driving on the highway. These are the same people who are shocked that they rear ended someone and have no idea how it could have been avoided.
Jumping out of a plane is a rare and noteworthy thing. Driving a car is an everyday activity for most of us. It’s easy to forget that cars weigh over 4,000 pounds on average and kill over 40,000 people per year. Just because it’s common doesn’t mean we can forget about safety.
If you are hit and injured by one of these people, we’re here for you. Mom was right—just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea. If they’re driving a car, they need to know how to do it correctly. We hold people accountable every day to keep our community safe. Don’t let some insurance adjuster tell you that accidents just happen and then refuse to make it right. For them, it’s all about the insurance company’s bottom line. For us, it’s about doing the right thing and holding people responsible when they decide to endanger us all with unsafe driving.
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