There are always people that talk about travel not being safe especially when there is a big news event such as a plane or train crash.
When you are going on a trip how often does someone tell you to be safe? Do they ever tell you that on a regular day at home? They should because it is just as dangerous to be at home as it is to travel.
Look at all the bad things that can happen when you are at home.
You could get in a car accident. Statistically most accidents happen within a mile of your home. How many people are injured or killed from car accidents a year? The answer is a lot more than when they are traveling.
Say that driving is not your thing. You could walk. With all the drivers out there talking and texting on their phones do you really want to be a pedestrian? I do not know about you but I would rather be inside a car during an accident then walking around with no protection around me.
What about taking a bus? That surely must be safe. They are big and solid so they will definitely protect you if you get in an accident right. Sorry. You still have to walk to get to the bus so again it is not safe. Most buses also do not have seat belts so if the bus gets in an accident you have nothing holding you down.
The subway or metro must be the answer to safety. Wrong again. How many times have you heard of people getting mugged or robbed on subway? Depending on the city it could be a lot.
What about safety at work? People get injured at work all the time and instances of workplace violence are increasing.
So the answer to staying safe must be to stay at home. That has to be correct.
I used to think this until two years ago when a car ran into my house. Yes you heard that correct.
A car ran into my house.
Well it did not actually run into the house it ran into my concrete block backyard wall at 70mph and the wall exploded breaking all my windows and putting some very large holes in the outside of my house.
The Car or what is left of it.
Hole in the Wall from Car Crash
That twisted blue piece of metal is the hood.
The series of events that led up to the car in my backyard are really unbelievable.
It occurred at 6:30AM on a Monday morning.
The driver was driving a stolen car.
He also had a suspended drivers license.
He was also drunk. Yes he was drunk at 6:30 Monday morning. Is that something you expect on your morning commute?
The worst part of this was that he had just hit a man that was walking across the street about a quarter mile from my house.
The man was killed from the collision.
Instead of stopping he drove 70mph down my street to get away, lost control of the car and crashed into my wall.
Luckily I had just gotten out of the shower and was still upstairs. The house shook like that there was an explosion when all the windows blew out. I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs but only made it halfway down because the floor was covered with glass and I did not have any shoes on.
When I did get downstairs I found that every part of my floor was covered in glass and concrete blocks. In the middle of my table where I would have been eating breakfast was a pile of jagged glass.
I could have been sitting here eating breakfast.
I am glad I was not sitting here.
My house was a crime scene.
I was very lucky that I was still upstairs otherwise I could have been seriously injured or worse.
It has been two years since the accident and I still cringe every time I hear a car go down the road really fast or if there is a loud noise outside.
Travel might have its risks but I would still rather be traveling and have something bad happen than sitting on my couch watching TV when it did.
It’s true. Everything has a risk. No sense in believing other countries are more dangerous than what’s in our own backyard. RIP that poor soul who was just walking and minding his own. =(
nicole recently posted..The Truth is Not an Attraction in Atlanta
OMG, that is absolutely insane! Somebody was watching down on you that day.
I think the statistics say that 90% of all accidents will happen within 5 miles from your house or something like that. I think something bad is more likely to happen at home than when traveling.
Jennifer recently posted..Carnival Cruise Lines Opens First Asian Restuarant
Yes. I was going to get up early and do some work. There is something to be said for being lazy on a Monday morning.
Wow! Thank goodness you weren’t eating breakfast! Something similar happened to me, actually my car in San Francisco years ago. It was hit by a stolen drunk driver and hit my parked car at 2am and wrapped it around a tree! Wasn’t good to wake up to the police knocking at my door asking if I was the owner of XXXX car. Anyway, I feel bad for the driver and glad you are okay.
Heidi Wagoner recently posted..Essential Tips To Estimate the Cost of Living
That is awful. At least you were not in the car at the time.
Scary!!! So lucky you weren’t downstairs. I totally agree that you are much safer traveling!! I have never understood why people are so scared about safety for travel. I get that it depends on the country where you are going, but people usually say it no matter where you go.
Ourjourneytothesea recently posted..Is it a horse? No it’s a Spanish Mackerel
People that are scared of travel have never really traveled. The world is a big place and there and bad things can happen anywhere.
This is one of the reason why you should just get rid of house and travel freely like bird.
You must be very happy that it’s over.
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That is the dream!
Well that’s dam scary. When I get ready to travel as a solo female I always here, “Aren’t you afraid because ________ is a dangerous place?” But of course the speaker has never been there. I am more afraid in a local city walking the streets.
Gaelyn recently posted..Camping at Point Sublime Grand Canyon
Every place can be dangerous if you are not paying attention. People fear the unknown and believe what the media reports to them.
Wow. Jeff, that is mind-blowing! It must have been so scary.
I feel exactly the same way as you. I saw my life literally come crashing down around me during the big earthquake in Christchurch a few years ago. If me or my baby had been in several spots in our house other than right where we were we could have been toast too.
Home has never felt safe to me since.
Bethaney – Flashpacker Family recently posted..Is Australia Just Too Darn Expensive?
I understand that. It has not felt safe since the accident.
Hey Jeff, crazy! and lucky in a weird way. I really never think about traveling being unsafe in any way at all. Because as you pointed out, anything can happen, anywhere, anytime.
Yes this is what I have tried to explain to my family. I’d rather die living than hiding. I’d rather die doing what I love than live slowly dying. Safety is relative. Might as well live your dreams.
Whoa! That is crazy! Who would ever expect anything like that to happen? God, I hate drunk drivers. Glad you’re okay, Jeff.
It was really crazy. I am just glad I was still upstairs.
whoaa, crazy! This is the thing i always say to all the people concerned about my travels. Sometimes is definitely better to be lost somewhere in the world instead of being home 🙂 Glad you weren’t sitting in that room when that happened!
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