A few days ago, I was focusing on my fuel economy, and didn't want to waste kinetic energy stopping for traffic at a left-turn - so I made the turn in front of another vehicle, knowing there was enough space, but that it was tighter than I typically allow for such a manouver. Not smart at all. But there were no horns, gesturing, or (even more importantly) damages that resulted. All was well.
Still, I found myself asking - What the hell was I thinking?
We make quick decisions all day, every day. It is the only way we can get through life without having everything take an inordinate amount of time. We rely on muscle memory, prior experiences, pre-set expectations - to get done whatever we need to do. We very often don't think about what happens when something unexpected crops up. Perhaps the vehicle 5 cars ahead of us on the highway will blow a tire, or swerve to avoid some debris. Other vehicles react by swerving to avoid the sudden obstacle, or worse yet, with panic stops, because the driver wasn't paying adequate attention and it is the only reaction that comes to mind.
How prepared are you for unexpected things in "normal" surroundings? How close to the car in front of you do you follow? How many fire extinguishers do you have in your home, and where are they? If your income stopped, how long could you keep paying your bills?
It is when things *don't* go as we expect them to that we find ourselves in the most trouble...
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