Watching Accident’s Happen

This last week on Tuesday afternoon the weather was a little gloomy, there was a little rain and the driving conditions a little hazardous. It was the ideal condition for accidents on the road. As I headed from my office at BCS to my office in the Army I saw a number of vehicles off the road due to little bingles, however most people had slowed down and were driving to the conditions. Then I turned the corner onto Canberra Avenue………

As I turned the corner I noticed that there were a number of vehicles pulled over to the side. They had already been involved in an accident. It was long enough ago that the Fire Brigade has just around the corner. As I turned onto Canberra Avenue the lane I was in had just had another bingle so the lane had come to a complete stop. As if that was not enough, right in front of me as vehicles pulled out of the lane into the next lane, there were two more accidents. It was so surreal; I could not believe my eyes.

People out of their need to rush could not wait and in the end cost them more time, not to talk about the expense. It is funny how for our way of life we are so busy and we are always rushing. However does all this rushing around really add to our quality of life? Do we really need to rush so much? Does the rushing around really achieve more quality outcomes than a relaxed planned out approach?

So with all the little accidents unfolding in front of me and lane at a complete stop I placed the hazards lights on my car. I noticed some of the cars pulling out into the lane next to us, however with the traffic and hazards I remained stopped in the lane. Within a minute or two of placing the hazards lights on a Fire Engine had arrived. The Fireman got out and stopped the traffic in the next lane in order to let me get out safely. In the end I was on my way within five minutes and I was all safe and sound.

As I drive past the scene on the accident I noticed about eight to ten vehicles all with damage and thought to myself…. I tend to lead a busy and a sometime frantic life. Maybe I need to learn from this experience and slow down. Not just slow down, but also reflect and aim to achieve the top priority quality outcomes, rather than rush around and not achieve anything at a standard that I happy with. It reminds me of a quote by Mahatma Gandhi “I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.”

In summary I have come to realise that sometimes slowing down is going faster.