Road incident

As a tax paying member of society, driving can be very stressful. Or rather, other motorists can be incredibly annoying.

That perception can change in a heart beat.

I recently lost control of my car. It started with some understeer, then it decided to oversteer. I know how to react to both individually but I truly wasn't expecting either event and control was lost.

I didn't actually crash but I certainly came close. What I did do was stop all traffic along a main road. Everybody, patiently waited (forty or more cars) whilst I repointed my car in the correct direction. I apologised in the direction of the motorist who actively steered his vehicle out of my way.

You may or may not find that interesting or extraordinary. The point is the gratitude I felt for all the motorists that I inconvenienced due to my lack of care, for their patience. The entire incident was solely my responsibility.

In summary, I behaved, reacted and felt as a human being would.

This contrasts sharply with what a member of society would have felt. They would have felt that their rear tyres were defective despite recent professional advice that they were not in need of replacement. That there must have been a diesel or oil spillage. That the shell grip road surface was worn. That the car was faulty despite recently passing its annual road worthy test. That the couple of month old front tyres were incorrectly specified. The list of excuses is limitless.

The police could say that I was driving without due care and attention. They would be correct. They could say that i failed to maintain control of my vehicle. They would be correct. I could say it was just an accident. I would be lying.

Are you a member of society or a human being?

Do you understand the distinction?