In honor of World AIDS Day, may we honor all the things we do to help keep ourselves safe. From condoms to seat belts to conversations that set limits, we make empowered choices that help to protect ourselves from harm.
What choice for your own safety are you proud to have made?
To protect myself from auto accidents, as a driver, I have a habit of always looking to the left and to the right as I’m entering an intersection even when I am at a red/green lighted intersection. There can be an incident in which the other driver is not following the light message. We also have flashing- turning- to- steady yellow light arrow lights at intersections now indicating that “if it is clear one may proceed with a left hand turn”. I realize that this is a way of expediting traffic flow but it demands another level of caution for the driver. I also use the same look-rt-look-lft technique when walking across a marked or unmarked street walkway since I do not depend upon drivers to observe that I am in the walkway. A close call has given me this sense of awareness as a pedestrian. Attitude about pedestrian vs driver rights are sometimes fuzzy in some people’s minds.
While I was still able to ride a bike, I always wore a helmet. It may have saved my life once – the helmet was broken through, but my head was uninjured when a car hit me.
I also always wear a seat belt. That’s required by law everywhere I’ve lived, but so many people fail to follow the law. As with the helmet, wearing a seat belt protected me when I got into a bad accident.