November 7th, 2007
Driving to work I find myself drifting in and out with the mundane travel through rush hour. Sometimes I find myself creating hypothetical situations. This was today’s:
Say you’re driving down the road at a steady speed and come to a stop light. There is a motorcycle just ahead of you in the other lane; you see a car approaching from behind that driver, the car is coming at full speed and appears to not see the light is red.
Knowing that the motorcycle operator would sustain fatal injuries from the impact, would you maneuver your car to try and protect the motorcycle’s occupant? Would you risk damage to your car, higher insurance costs and possible charges and even risk personal injury to save this person?
Even if the light were to turn green and the motorcyclist sped off, completely unknowing of what you had just done to save their life?
Would you sit and watch, hoping that the motorcyclist did see the car, or that the car did eventually see the motorcycle and red light?
It’s just a hypothetical. I know what everyone would like to do, so don’t put too much thought into it. What would be your initial gut reaction? No one is in the wrong.
I’d love to think that I would move my car to protect the motorcyclist, but I think I would be frozen in shock and worry that I wouldn’t act quick enough. Worry about personal injury and the cost of insurance. You know, the two fender benders I’ve had the first thought I had was worry about how this would affect my insurance rates. When my brother rolled his car, he wasn’t worried about himself, yet how much his insurance was going to go up. That’s seriously twisted.
Let’s discuss!
It would totally depend on if Cara was in the car with me.
If she was, then I would administer first aid and call for help.
If she wasn’t, then I would swerve to save the biker.
Tucker’s got himself one of them thar Harleys and I would hope that someone would do the same for him.
November 7th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
My husband has a motorcycle so I’m constantly afraid of scenarios like this.
I think it would depend on if my kids were in the car with me, too. If they were I’d be the first person to call 911 on my cell, if they weren’t I’d hope to have the presence of mind to swerve and save the biker.
November 7th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I just don’t think my brain would work fast enough to even contemplate swerving to save the biker. Unfortunate, but true.
That’s what I think too Naomi. Unfortunate, but I don’t think I’d be thinking fast enough, I’d be in shock.
November 7th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Everyone would hope that they would protect the motorcyclist, but in reality, your first thought would be “Oh MY GOD” and after that I doubt you would have time to swerve in front of the car. I would hope I would be able to protect the motorcylist, my husband rides one from time to time, without much bodily or property damage.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
It wouldn’t occur to me to put my car in between the two, I’d just lay on the horn as long and loud as possible.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Wow. As much as I like to think I am people-helper type of person… the though of swerving to block another motorist (or any kind) from harm has NEVER crossed my mind. Knowing me, I would just make things worse.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
I think you’d have every intention to avoid the motorcyclist. But things happen and reactions happen.
November 7th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I work in healthcare, my job is to help people, but I would not risk my life to save a strangers. Sounds bad and selfish, but I’m a mom, I’m not ready to risk my life. If anything I would wail on the horn and hope someone would slow down to see what the fuss was all about. Jenn
November 8th, 2007 at 1:19 am