Wreck-Free!

Today marks the 2-year mark of being car accident free.

Let me explain why this is such a big deal:

In May 2003, I was driving to work and a young woman, rather than abide by traffic laws, decided to follow the flow of traffic and turned left in an intersection where I clearly had the right of way (i.e., the green light). I swerved to avoid hitting her, and she T-boned me. Crashed right between the driver and passender doors of my 10-year old Chevy Lumina.

I wasn't hurt. Elevated blood pressure, as you can imagine, but no injuries. She was taken away in an ambulance, but I've no idea of her injuries. My insurance company gave me $3,000 (less my $250 deductible) to fix my 10-year old car. I was actually very surprised that they didn't total it; I mean, it was 10 years old.

Rather than fix the car, I used the money as a down-payment on a new car. New for me, anyway--a two-year old Acura 3.2 CL. Got $200 trade-in on my Lumina.

So, about two to three months later I'm driving this beautiful gold-colored Acura (got one that wouldn't show dirt as much. Seeing as I live in a desert, cars get really dirty really fast around here!) to work one morning. A guy in a Ford F-150 (big, honkin' pick-up truck) changed lanes in front of me so he wouldn't get stuck behind a bus, then promptly slammed on his brakes because some little rat-dog was in the street. (It was a Pekinese or a Pomeranian or some stupid little P-dog.)

Can you guess what happened? I bet you can. My brand new car, on which I'd made a total of two or three car payments... I rear-ended the guy. $2,000 damage to the front-end of my car, $0 to his frickin' truck. The only hint that he'd been in an accident was the gold paint on his trailer hitch.

I get my car back. I'm driving more carefully, but still probably more offensive than defensive. My sister came out to spend Christmas with me. We were on our way to Costco, I'm in the right turn lane. Traffic in the other two lanes was at a standstill because of an accident that had happened in the intersection.

Can you guess what happened? I bet you can. Some guy in a small SUV pulled through the two lanes of traffic and right across my path. Didn't inch his way out to make sure it was clear. No.

He.

Just.

Pulled.

Out.

I'm doing 30 miles per hour. Slammed on the brakes, but it was way too late. $7,000 worth of damages and a severely sprained ankle later...

Oy. Three accidents in seven months. Two of them in my NEW CAR.

If the experts are right and most people are in a car accident every 10 years of their lives, I'm good to go until I'm 70.

Of course, I am about due to sprain an ankle. I do it generally every two years. Not on purpose--it just happens. But it's an equal opportunity thing, though. Two years ago in the car accident it was my right ankle. That means this time it'll be my left ankle.

What can I say? It's a talent.