As I rode my motorcycle home from class today, the cars in the lane next to me and I approached a red light.
Wanting to be the first in line, the driver of the car adjacent to me swung her vehicle into my lane without checking or signaling. It almost collided with me, which, despite my helmet, would have been a devastating accident.
I honked and pulled up next to the driver’s window. She rolled it down just long enough to say, “Obviously, I didn’t see you,” and closed it before I could respond.
Like always, it was an excuse without an apology from a car driver.
This happens to me on average once or twice a week around this city. Most drivers won’t acknowledge that they’ve made a mistake at all, and the ones who do often find a way to blame the person on two wheels.
Anyone who rides a motorcycle, scooter or bicycle knows all about this infallible mindset on the part of cars and trucks. Drivers never think they’re too distracted to drive, whether it be by the radio, their emotions or their passengers.
But the worst, by far, is text messaging behind the wheel. I’ve had more close calls than I’d like to remember at the hands of drivers who were sure they had mastered the art of texting while driving. Keeping your cell phone plastered to your ear with one hand on the wheel is no better.
I’d like to help the motorists in this town understand something: If you hit someone on a two-wheeled vehicle because of your reckless driving, it won’t be considered an accident. And if you kill someone, the state of Florida will charge you with what’s called vehicular homicide, an offense which can carry a sentence of several years.
So the next time you go to answer your phone in the car, think for just a second about spending the next decade in a state prison. Is the text message really worth it?
No doubt you’ve seen the ubiquitous bumper sticker that reads “Look Twice — Save a Life.” There really is no better advice for this town, with all our scooter riders and bicyclists around. I urge all UF students and Gainesville residents to make better decisions on the road.
You can save a life, and you can spare yourself the living nightmare that is the aftermath of an accident. Trust me, it isn’t something you want to learn from experience.
Chris Wood is a UF senior.
