I recently shifted a routine morning appointment to a bit later.  Instead of landing myself in the tail end of rush hour traffic for this twice-weekly meeting, I am on the road after the rush has gone.  I had thought that this would make for an easier drive.  Some days that is the case.  Most days, though, it is simply a more interesting drive.  Instead of joining the masses making their familiar trek; a consistent trudge, I join those running a smattering of errands, racing off in a million different directions.  Paths cross, merge and diverge in random fashion.  Drivers have differing destinations and, apparently, vastly different expectations of how long the trip should take.

In one single day, I had several of those interesting “crossing, merging and diverging” encounters.  Leaving my neighborhood while making good speed down one thoroughfare a car rolled through a stop sign and turned right in front of me.  I wasn’t happy, but I couldn’t say I had never done that before myself.  Already on the brakes, I was still unprepared for the offending car to step on their own brakes and turn on their left turn signal; coming to a dead stop in front of me…after cutting it pretty close merging in front of me in the first place.

Just a few miles down the road another car pulled out in front of me.  I know the law says that drivers are allowed to turn right on red in this state.  I know it also says that one may do so only after stopping…and, presumably, ensuring that there is room to do so without impeding crossing traffic.  In this case the did not stop, but I nearly had to in order to avoid a collision.

On my return trip that same day, I watched as the car in the right lane slid over in front of me to make room for merging traffic from the on ramp, only to have the second-in-line car on the on ramp proceedto pass the car ahead of them at the top of the ramp; pulling not into the right hand lane but the middle of three lanes.  Not 30 yards ahead of me, I watched as 4 cars shared the same length of 3 lane highway.

Yikes!

You know I like to grumble, but I’m writing here not just because I wish to complain.  Nor am I pointing out driving errors in others because I am such a good driver myself.  The truth is quite the opposite.  I’m not that great a driver.  One of these days I fear I will fall victim to the insanity on the roads.  Worse yet, it seems likely that I will not be the only victim.

In these three near-accidents, the drivers playing fast and loose with the rules of the road drove a truck, an SUV and a sedan; one was on a cell phone, two were not.  One incident occurred on a busy suburban street, another on a country road and the last, obviously was on the expressway.

The common thread among them?

All three were young women, and all of them had children in the vehicle.

I don’t want to be involved in any accident.  I certainly don’t want anything do with a multi-car wreck.  Moreover, if an accident was inevitable, the last car on earth I would want to hit is the one carrying a mother and her children.

I almost did it, though; three times on one round-trip.

I find myself now, offering a prayer to the universe to protect those blinded to the dangers around them by carpool rules or new schedules or unruly passengers, or whatever else has captured their attention or put them running late.

I hope that you, too, may find a minute or two to offer up your own prayer for the frazzled.

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