He learned how to drive while in the military under a far from gentle instructor. He was well advanced in age and made sure I understood what he said. Not infrequently, the student was tired and stressed, he would have nose bleeds and swollen face. The instructor made it clear that in driving you were risking your life and the life of others. Having learned under these conditions it was easy for him to consider himself a safe driver compared to others.
The reason for the accident was easily determined, he didn't follow the basics. No matter how hot it was there was no excuse for wearing slippers. Dress and shoes are important elements to be concerned with. Because he didn't follow some basic principles for driving the cost was a loss of peace of mind, money, damage to a car and inflicting pain.
He introduces us to Heinrich's Law: in a workplace, for every accident that causes a major injury, there are 29 accidents that cause minor injuries and 300 accidents that cause no injuries.
He recalls the many times he failed to do the right thing. The failure to defrost the windshield and still drove the car, dropping something while driving and picking it up, went into the other lane, in a hurry passing the car in front to make a right turn, driving without firmly shutting the car door and many others. He was given many warnings but, without reason, trusting in his confidence and insensibility to safety, with luck he avoided accidents until the recent one.
Whether a person or an organization, when we take notice of the basics and fundamental principles we avoid many troubles. We generally like to do things our way. However, this can often cause harm to others and even death. We can leave behind a blot, that will bother us for the rest of our lives.
The tragedies we have experienced in recent years in Korea have ignored some basic safety precautions for one reason or another that brought about a tragedy.
He reflects on his own driving habits over the years. Since he had no accidents he became complacent and oblivious to what could happen. When the accident did happen he was thrown for a loop. With the passage of time, he was able to see how fortunate he was to get off so easy and was thankful.
With age, the reflexes have slowed, the heart is young as ever but the body doesn't go along, which is all the more reason for not straying from the basics—not only with driving but in the many other areas of life. If we don't stay focused and follow the basics, problems easily arise. Fortunately, we receive warnings often. Conscious of what they are saying to us, we keep our eyes and ears open for we can't always hope for a pleasing outcome.
