Aug. 28, I was stopped at a stop sign waiting for the bus to make a left turn when a car driven by a university student rear-ended my car.
The young man was very apologetic and stated he had only taken his eyes off the road for a few seconds. I told him that is not OK. The damage to the car was minimal. However, I did end up with whiplash from the jolt of being rear-ended, and needed medical attention.
The purpose for writing this is not to tell you about my resulting injuries. The purpose is to show that taking your eyes off the road — even for a few seconds — can have consequences.
It could have been far worse had he been going faster. It could have been far worse if I had been a child walking there.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. I don’t know why the young man who hit my vehicle took his eyes off the road. I don’t know what he did in that few seconds, as I didn’t ask him. I don’t know if he had been using an electronic device or if he had looked down to grab something or just glanced away from the road to look at something of interest.
It really doesn’t matter, because the end result is the same; it created the accident that is causing my vehicle to go in for repair and me to go to treatments for whiplash.
The car will get repaired and be fine. In time, my body will heal, as well.
However, that few seconds cost me time, expense, discomfort and being late for an appointment.
This is a caution that I hope will remind parents of young drivers, as well as young drivers themselves, that if you feel the need to take your eyes off the road, pull over and stop the vehicle safely first then do it. It could save you and others a lot of unpleasantness.
You never know when that attentive second could save a life or save you or someone else being involved in an accident. Let “keep our eyes on the road” be your motto when driving.
Carol-Ann Vachon
Greater Sudbury