Be Proactive: Defense is the Greatest Offense

Be Proactive: Defense is the Greatest Offense

By Claudia Biendl

It was
pitch black and raining outside my childhood home where I learned I
almost lost my mother and barely older brother in a near head-on
collision from a dangerously wreckless driver. On a simple return
errand of fetching Arby’s for dinner, my mother was faced with a
split second decision to dodge the oncoming assault of two rapidly
approaching head lights, saving their lives yet not escaping without
a gouge down the length of the driver’s side of our 1985 Mercury
Grand Marquis. The reality of the critical near miss was apparent in
the starting point of the scratch, indicating that the impact would
have resulted in a far more destructive and likely fatal result had
the assaulting driver, who sped away without slowing, been only two
inches further in my mother’s lane.

I was
hardly nine years old then. As a 32 year old wife and mother of
three I can still recall in detail that moment of dawning dread and
pure, cold terror of realizing a concept that had never been real to
me before. That I could have and would have become a motherless
daughter that night. That my only brother, good friend, and playmate
would never age beyond that moment in time. That neither I, my
father, nor my three older sisters would have ever seen either of
them again. All caused by a driver who lacked respect for the road
and the lives and property of the people traveling it. However, it
is also my mother’s quick, defensive response that also prevented
the worst case scenario from altering the course of events that would
have cruelly affected the lives of our entire family. To this day I
am haunted by the notion even moreso since I am a mother myself. I
wish never to see the day that I would outlive my own children nor to
leave them any sooner than the end of what I pray to be a long,
sucessful, and fulfilling life, precisely what I wish for them.

Proper
instruction of not only the laws of the road, but of driving
etiquette, vehicle maintenance, and most importantly defensive
driving tactics, are crucial to being a safe driver and occupant of
the road. If all members who hold the priveledge of a license, even
a learner’s permit, were to respect these aspects consistently,
then traversing the roads would be a substantial degree safer by
reducing the number of deaths caused by distraction, neglegence, and
ignorance. Remaining vigilant, considering road and weather
conditions, assessing traffic, time frame, and distance factors to
formulate a route plan, as well as self control not to use one’s
cell phone nor any other item not related to driving and maintaining
focus on the road are all imperative factors to being a safe driver.
Likewise, by using the tools, rules, laws, and etiquette of the road,
one can better communicate to other drivers, helping prevent
senseless accidents and frustrations that poor indication and
communication can cause.