heart-stopping
Let me begin by saying: nobody was seriously injured – nor were there any bicycles involved.
Yesterday afternoon I had one of those moments that every parent dreads beyond description – getting a phone call that your child was in an car accident. My youngest son was on his way to tennis practice after school and was stopped behind a van for a driver making a left-hand turn – and moments later he was rear-ended by a driver who admitted to being “temporarily distracted”/momentarily not paying close enough attention. (I won’t even start on my abhorrence over cell-phones use in cars, texting, etc. – even though we don’t know if this was a contributing factor in this accident).
While I understand that accidents happen, and we are more than willing to forgive and forget, I hope that this will serve as a reminder to both the driver and to my teenage son (who is in that high-risk group, even though he was not at fault here): distracted driving is completely unsafe and irresponsible, and the outcome could have been much, much worse. Sad business all around.
My cousin sent me a link to this video made by AT&T entitled “The Last Text” about texting while driving, which I made all of my boys watch, and I think it’s definitely worth viewing – here.
Grant is fine, a little bruised and shaken, but we are SO grateful that the outcome was as good as it was. I can always replace a car … had anything happened to my son, well, I can’t even think about it.
One thing that left me fairly shocked (although the attending police didn’t seem to find it unusual for some reason), was that even though the dash basically popped out, or was pushed out by the impact, the driver’s airbag didn’t deploy. I am a bit mystified. Can someone explain? I may be asking the folks at Honda about this.
why didnt the airbag deploy? (I wish someone could explain this to me)
As for bikes and cycling … well, I guess this is one way for me to be car-free for a while. Mark will be driving my car, while Grant drives our other car. Distances, along with Grant’s before- and after-school activities and Mark’s business travel make it necessary for them to use cars, while I can fairly easily get by on two wheels. Good thing.
Meanwhile – don’t drink, text, use a phone, apply make-up, shave, read, or do anything else when you’re behind the wheel. Please. Please.
a beautiful way to be car-free
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shebicycles 
Whew. I’m glad no one was seriously injured. Glad you can make the most of your car-free time on the bike. I’m always grateful, when our care is acting up, that I know how to get around by bicycle. A lot of people are completely lost without a car.
Oh, I am so glad that he’s ok – I refuse to use my phone while driving, let alone texting.
Been there done that. Had somebody slam into the back of me. I saw him in the mirror, oblivious to the world around him intent on his conversation. I was able to brace. His car totalled. My truck had bent bumper. He got a ticket. I had a pleasant chat with the police.
Glad it all turned out ok. Would be good to know why that airbag didn’t deploy.
Hang up and drive!!!!!
Glad that no one was seriously injured, and that no one was on a bicycle (as the damage could’ve been far worse!). As you said, perhaps this can be used as a good learning opportunity for a young driver, even though he wasn’t at fault. I know it would shake me up a bit and get me thinking about always being aware. Again, so glad that no one was injured – as you said, the objects are fairly easily fixed, but the humans are not replaceable.
Omigosh, I’m SOOOO glad everyone’s okay. My heart did skip a beat when I first saw the picture.
I often sit on our front porch and yell at people driving by who are texting. I feel like such an old man doing so, but, with all the kids and pedestrians in our neighborhood (not to mention cyclists!), I am infuriate by the careless sense of entitlement that way too many American drivers have.
Again, glad everyone’s okay…
Adding my “phew” and glad nobody was hurt. Distracted drivers in Colorado (I’m originally from Philadelphia) scare the heck out of me. When I’m in my work’s delivery car, my boss knows I won’t answer a call/text until I get to a delivery stop. As a cycle-commuter, seeing people driving while distracted worries me even more.
Great teachable moment, especially since everyone’s okay.
So glad no one was injured! It is definitely a great teaching opportunity though. We live just a block from a high school, and parking on our street has become such an issue that we’ve recently gone to resident only parking during school hours. The students act as if they have no concerns for the fact that this is a very busy area, with many pedestrians, bikes, etc. They attempt to fly down our street, weaving in and out of other parked cars, coming very close to hitting things. One student actually did hit someone’s car, and this same student later hit a neighbor’s dog! She apparently didn’t learn her lesson the first time. There are so many things that distract from driving and it’s really scary the way it’s going. It makes me SO mad to see people talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, reading, etc. in vehicles. Does it really take a serious accident for people to realize the impact of doing such things??! Everyone seems to have the attitude of “it won’t happen to me” which is scariest of all.
Glad no one was injured. I cannot stand people that drive and talk/text on their cells! Majority of the time, when someone is driving like a moron, it is because they are on their cell!!! Argggh…
As for the airbag not deploying, I can only assume it was because it was a rear-end collision and not a side collision? I would check with your car company anyways to rule out defects.
It may have worked for the benefit of your son, because airbags have been known to cause broken facial bones or burns.