Watch Out When Driving

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

In my town, Main Street is one block off a major highway: major by the standards of this part of the state.

So, I was walking up Main Street with the vague idea of having lunch. I got to the last intersection and looked left. There was a semi stopped out on the highway and the driver was frantically looking under all his wheels. Nearer by, I saw a little kid about age 2 wandering down the middle of the intersecting street, and he was sobbing. So, I was immediately scared for the kid.

I went running down the street toward the kid. Of course, he was scared of me, and I'm not good with kids at the best of times. He kept saying, "Daddy," and walking, but I couldn't get near him. So, I decided to chase after him because I'm more visible than a kid if any cars came along. In retrospect, that probably could have created problems of its own if the wrong person saw me.

Luckily, a woman pulled up, and he was willing to let her pick him up. We figured out where he lived because of the limited number of homes on Main Street. His grandmother opened the door. She had about four little kids in the apartment and said she had taken a shower and didn't know where he had gone.

So, I went on to the truck driver. He was in tears. One of my students had seen him from the grocery store, so she was trying to comfort him. He was glad the kid was all right, but in no shape to drive, and there sat the semi in the middle of the highway. A man from the gas station across the street came over and parked it out of the way for him.

So, the reason I'm posting this is because that kid is only alive because of that truck driver. He wasn't texting, fiddling with the radio, looking over the town, or daydreaming. He was paying attention to the road. And that's how he saw the kid.

The moral of this story: stay off your cell phone when driving, pay attention to the road, and if you do have a little one, they get away fast, so keep track of them.

[Icarus]

Thank you for that Waski.  What this world needs is good stuff with happy endings. We are presently besieged with terrorist stuff which is a downer to say the least.  Recounts of acts of kindness and responsibility are more than pleasing when the civilized world is frantically waiting to exhale.

[Asmodean]

Hm... Yes. My problem, however, is that much of my work day is spent in a car at speed and on the phone. There is no way around it. Thus, I disagree with the moral of your story. To me, it's "be proficient at multitasking."

Does talking on the phone make me a worse driver? Certainly. But I am aware of that and this far, there has not been a problem.

[merx]

Hm... Yes. My problem, however, is that much of my work day is spent in a car at speed and on the phone. There is no way around it. Thus, I disagree with the moral of your story. To me, it's "be proficient at multitasking."

Does talking on the phone make me a worse driver? Certainly. But I am aware of that and this far, there has not been a problem.

Very sorry that you and many others drivers think like that.

[Asmodean]

What else is there?

[merx]

I remember one story,which i readed from newspaper.It happened in the big City.One man was walking on the beach and saw there a little kid. He was maybe three years old and he was`nt wearing pants.To be without pants on the beach is of course normal but the man noticed that the kid was there alone and it was`nt  normal.He walked to the kid and covered him with his shirt.The man asked where the boy lives and he showed towards big house across the street.They went into the house,the boy knew exactly where he lives.The door was open,they entered and the man saw how the boy`s mother sat at the computer and talked with somebody in the Skype.She even did`nt know that her child was`nt at home.