Fender Bender

Fender Bender - Alright, I’ve got a nice, sentimental post that I’ve been planning to write about my time off over Christmas break but this is neither the time nor the place. Okay, so I guess it’s the place, but it’s certainly not the time.

I’m angry, I admit it. And I’ll be writing out of anger, so bear that in mind. This morning on the way to work I was hit by another driver. First of all, no one was hurt. Now, an accident of any kind would have me pretty ticked since I am driving a new car. But in addition to this the cop that arrived at the scene decided that the accident was my fault. I am absolutely certain it was not, and I have the entry in the Florida Drivers Handbook to prove it.

Let me set the stage for you. I’m turning left onto Orange Ave from Monroe St. She’s turning right onto Orange from the opposite side of Monroe. Orange Ave, for those of you unfamiliar with that road, is a two lane road. I turned into Orange’s left hand lane. She also turns into Orange’s left hand lane. She hits me. She’s supposed to turn into the right hand lane, then change lanes if needed. Want proof? Here’s the entry on page 22 in the aforementioned Florida Drivers Handbook. Points eight and nine deal directly with my situation.

Making Turns

Turning a corner may seem to be a simple operation, but many traffic crashes are caused by drivers who do not turn correctly. There are nine steps in making a good turn:

1. Make up your mind about your turn before you get to the turning point. Turn signals are required when changing lanes. Never make “last minute” turns.

2. If you must change lanes, look behind and to both sides to see where other vehicles are located before making your turn.

3. Move into the correct lane as you near the intersection. The correct lane for the right turn is the lane next to the right edge of the roadway. On a two-lane road with traffic in both directions, an approach for a left turn should be made in the part of the right half of the roadway nearest the center line.

4. Give a turn signal for at least the last 100 feet before you make your turn. Let other drivers know what you are going to do.

5. Slow down to a safe turning speed.

6. When you are slowing to make a right turn, the bicyclist you passed may be catching up to you. Search over your shoulder before turning. Yield to bicyclists and pedestrians.

7. Yield to pedestrians who may be crossing your path when turning left. Always scan for pedestrians before starting the turn.

8. Make the turn, staying in the proper lane. Yield the right-of-way to vehicles (including bicycles) coming from the opposite direction.

9. Finish your turn in the proper lane. A right turn should be from the right lane into the right lane of the roadway entered. A left turn may be completed in any lane lawfully available, or safe, for the desired direction of travel.

The cop said it was my fault, saying that since I didn’t have an arrow I should have yielded to her. But these traffic laws sure make it sound like she should be the one getting the citation.

In terms of damage none of it is serious. It won’t come near either one of our deductibles. Hers looks worse than mine, and she immediately dismissed the idea of working things out without the insurance companies when the officer brought that possibility up.

So now I have to decide if I want to appeal the citation. But it’s like football replay: there needs to be enough evidence to reverse the call. If I appeal and lose I’ll have to pay a much larger fine, court fees and all, and won’t be able to take traffic school to remove the three points off my license. If I pay my fine and take traffic school without putting up a fight I won’t have any points on my license but my insurance rates will go up (technically the rate won’t go up, but I’ll lose my good driver discounts, so I’ll still be paying more). Either choice means I pay for her damage.

Of course if I win the appeal I get no points, I pay no fine and her insurance pays the damage on my car. It’s like hitting the lotto.

So I’m sitting here at work trying to concentrate and it’s just not happening. I’ve gotten some work done, mostly because my job could be performed by a blindfolded chimp that was born with an extra chromosome. But I just can’t stop thinking about the whole mess. Not just what’s already happened; now I’m starting to think about all that is going to happen in the near future. In fact, I’ve already rehearsed in my mind at least half a dozen ways the appeal hearing could go, all but one of them ending with me losing. The other one I get shot by the woman’s angry grandson, furious that his grandmother now will have to pay a citation and for my car damages and will not have enough more for both her medication and groceries.

And I’m trying to see God at work in all of this. I mean, I believe everything that happens to us, good or bad, is meant to draw us closer to Him. And we always have the choice of saying “I did this on my own” when it’s something good or “how could You have done this to me” when it’s something bad. I know I need to turn to Him right now, but it’s so hard to want to.

I know giving this situation to Him means giving up my anger and forgiving the woman. Don’t get me wrong, I apologized for damaging her car and for inconveniencing her while we were at the scene, but I’m not sure how much I meant it. The truth is I like holding on to my anger like a blanket that doesn’t keep you warm. You just keep holding tighter and tighter, thinking that it’ll make a difference if you just don’t let go. Anger makes me feel powerful when in fact it’s draining me of my power. It makes me its slave. Only grace brings freedom.

Even as I’ve been sitting here waiting to post this entry (Xanga has been acting up) one of my coworkers who is a believer came by and really encouraged me. I’ve asked a friend of mine if I can hang out with him to vent and just have someone to shoot my thoughts off of, which I’m sure will help. So even when I’m in this pathetic, miserable state God is taking care of me.

I’ve called State Farm and told them the whole story, mostly because I don’t want to be liable if this woman calls saying her neck hurts a month from now. Hopefully I’ll be talking to a claims adjuster tonight and get some advice as to how much chance I have of winning this thing in court. Be praying for this situation. I’m not asking that you pray for my victory in court. I’d rather you pray for me to understand God’s purpose in this, and that I would be guided by his will in the choices I make. And pray for the woman too. She’s in her seventies, her car is pretty new too and I’m sure she’s just as angry as I’ve been all morning.

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant. Maybe by comparison you’ll decide you’re having a pretty good day.

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