When the sun out from behind clouds and the sky so blue it looks like you should be able to swim in it (only in Seattle!) we all receive our reward for living here. I am a “native” and know full well I am bias, but just looking around on a day like today I can’t be blamed for my “we live in the most beautiful place in the northwest” opinion.
We are all warned about the (justified and quantified) dangers of driving and using your cell phone to talk and text, or eating, or reading a book, or watching a movie, or faxing, or putting on makeup, or shaving, or getting dressed. But I never hear the law makers prohibiting us from driving and looking at: the mountains, or floating bridge looking at the boats, or ferry watching, or Mount Rainier is out, or coming around the curve at the Seattle end of 520 and seeing the Space Needle, or watching Santa water skiing in December, sun rises and sun sets (enjoy them when we get them). In this region, these and more can cause HUGE driving problems.
When we are behind the wheel, we are still and primarily supposed to be responsible and drive carefully. Please do so. At the time everything above seems VERY important and immediate. But NOTHING is more important than yours or someone else’s life or health. After an accident, the one thing I hear from so many is “it happened SO fast. All I did was look down for a second.” That second is all it takes and that second doesn’t matter. Your attention matters. Take the time to invest the time in that which is important. Keeping you, your friends, your loved ones and everyone else who is driving around you, safe.
Drive defensively but, most important, when you are driving remember:
YOU ARE DRIVING
You are not at the office, so don’t fax, you’re not at home so don’t get dressed, put on makeup, shave, or eat, you’re not at a movie theatre or sitting in an easy chair to read. You are driving. Pay attention and drive well.