watch out for motorcycles

Sometimes, even if you're just driving along, minding your own business, listening to NPR, even if you see a guy on a motorcycle come shooting out of a driveway and you watch him swerving into your lane, even if you yell, "dude, what are you doing?" and you try to swerve into the center lane to avoid hitting him, you may still hear that sickening sound when he and his bike slam into the side of your car and at the same time you may realize that your car is skidding to and fro and even though you are still holding onto the steering wheel, you are really not in control at all as your car slides from one direction to the other, side to side, eventually spinning around so you are facing the opposite direction, looking at the guy laying under his bike, attempting to get out from under it while people appear like ants on sugar in the spring, clearly describing the event to the 911 operator.

And just like that, in less than five seconds, you are facing the wrong direction, NPR is still playing on the radio, but your car engine is off and the guy on the bike is now standing and then walking toward you saying he's sorry, he didn't see you, it was all his fault, he just got the bike two days ago but he always wears a helmet and riding pants which are torn as are his jeans underneath the riding pants, but he has just a bit of a scrape on his elbow or his wrist, and he's asking if you're okay since you're shaking violently, and did you know you ran over his leg, but he's okay and he's sorry.

And now, ninety minutes later, you've called your insurance company and given all the details and obtained the phone number of a collision repair shop and learned that you have coverage that provides for a rental vehicle while yours is in the shop and your deductible is $500 but you have a $200 credit for no claims that will be applied towards that until he or his insurance reimburse you for the deductible, and now, ninety minutes later, you realize that in that five seconds you could have killed him. And you start shaking all over again.