Awareness Self Taught

[bbbass]

A few years ago I noticed, what I assumed to be a young kid, on a motorcycle acting erratically in front of me. He pulled up behind a line of cars in a left turn lane, the light in his lane was red. He then started looking over his right shoulder. As I approached the intersection at 45mph on a green light the motorcycle rider decided he didn't want to wait for the light. Pulled into my lane directly in front of me and didn't move. I don't know if he missed a shift, the bike stalled, or what happened. From the way he was riding I was expecting something stupid like this and slammed on my brakes coming to a stop inches from him being a pancake. The guy took off probably scared out of his mind. Unfortunately the truck behind me wasn't paying attention and rear ended me. Luckily everyone was ok but the X-Terra was totaled.

That's a hard one to put a "like" on.

 

[Sisu]

I'm amazed how many people are walking around completely unaware of what's going on around them. Staring at iphones aside (one kid I saw daylight was almost flattened by a propane truck, walking against a green light on a 4 laner), women don't seem to be checking things out well, or at least conveying the right stance and attitude. One night I was in a mall parking lot waiting for someone to get off their shift and was swivel heading around the lot. I noticed a guy about 4 rows over across the entrance road moving oddly for being inside his truck. There was a movie theater close and as people were exiting he was watching them, then focused with binoculars on a group of women straggling out after most of the people had left. Totally sketchy. I drove by them and said hey, there's a weirdo over in that truck watching you. I think they thought I was the weirdo...pulled into the guy's parking row and drove slowly down while eyeballing him to give a message and he hightailed it.
People assume a right to enter and enjoy public spaces without danger - the truth is that those public spaces can become dangerous very quickly. Never assume everything is "just fine". Scan upon exiting and entering the car, a store, your home, before pulling up tight behind someone at a stoplight. It ain't that hard and could save your life.