To be precise, the 2 year rise in national automobile fatalities (2015, 2016) is 14%–the highest rise in 50 years. (New York Times)
OP - you can look at that accident as a blessing in disguise. It was very minor and no one was hurt, but it has given you a great deal of humbling information about the seriousness of driving a car.
People get used to driving and not seeing their own sloppiness as anything serious. Don’t let that happen to you.
It’s tailgating not “tailgaiting.” I’ve had gait on my mind recently.
When I was a teenager I had two avoidable accidents. One when I was backing out of a driveway into a road late one night and the car stalled and I couldn’t get it started in time to get out of the way of one of my hs classmates who was roaring down the highway (around a curve), and wound up hitting me in a sideswipe way. We were lucky that it wasn’t worse. In that one I wasn’t moving, but should have made sure the car was running well before I backed out. But I was in a hurry.
The second accident was me rear-ending a car in broad daylight, mid-day, clear weather. The guy had stopped in the road to speak to a friend who was out in his yard, and I got distracted by something about 40 yard closer to me on the side of the road, and when my focus returned I was about 20 feet away from him and going about 30. Slammed on the brakes, and boom!! Fortunately no injuries, but it was embarrassing and humbling. You can’t imagine how you let that happen. I still can’t.
I’ve only had one other accident since, at about age 40, when a teenager drove straight across my path at an intersection with a flashing yellow for me, but a flashing red for her…which she just drove straight through.
Fortunately I adjusted and only had a minor “clip” so there was little damage. But it could have been much worse.
I’m constantly amazed at how many people tailgate. It’s irrational, and indicates to me that there is a deficit in mechanical perceptions. Get used to not following too closely. You’re stuck with the speed of the guy in front anyway. Give yourself and extra 10-20 yards and have a little safety cushion. Just slow down a bit, and recognize how little time you gain by “pushing” all the time.
@studyhard22 the same exact thing happened to me this morning!! someone was turning right in front of me on a green light but braked really hard and so I braked hard as well, but i think there was ice or something because I felt the car slide and I bumped into the back of their car. we both pulled over and there was not a scratch on either car so I gave him my number just in case and we both went on with our day. he was super nice about it. but I’m so nervous to tell my parents!!! any advice on how to break the news or wording I should use? they always warn me about driving too fast and carelessly and I feel like I just proved them right.
Anyone who texts or and tailgates should be arrested immediately. I wish I had the ability to eject them from their cars straight into the police station.
When I was 17 my car went out of control and into a ditch, just me and my car-no one else was involved. I was driving too fast for that stretch of road, but not all that fast. It was a good eye opener as far as how easy it is to lose control-how much more careful I needed to be! I have never had another accident except for being rear-ended a few years ago. Proceed with caution, that’s the best any of us can do! Try to have your stress be informative and not debilitating.
@studyhard22: My first accident involved a little kid and myself. I was 20ish. I was driving down a one way street approaching a stop sign. As I was slowing down two kids who were playing on curb, started to run out into the street. They were looking at each other as they ran. The one kid who saw me coming stopped cold in his tracks, but the other kid who was looking the other way at his friend kept running and ran into the side of my car hitting the car driver side near rear tire. At the time the kid hit my car I was almost totally stopped due to the stop sign. I jumped out. The kid had already jumped up and ran over to his friend who was back on the curb. Some old guy came out of his house pointing his finger in my face screaming at me “you young punks, always driving too fast.” I was really, really shaken up. The police were called. They talked to me, talked to kid’s friend, looked for evidence of my speed (ie skid marks). When the kid’s mother came, she and I were put into a squad. The police told the mother that this kid, meaning me, was doing nothing wrong, your son hit his car. Fortunately the kid was fine, but I can still remember that it took me several months to get over this incident. In retrospect I think I was overly tentative as a driver for some time after incident, perhaps making me unsafe to drive. And I still vividly remember (now 40 years +) later that old guy’s finger in my face screaming at me.
@kalechip21: tell your parents ASAP. Although there was “not a scratch” and he was" super nice", sometimes days after accident people suddenly have neck pains or other physical issues. Don’t let parents find out when “super nice” calls and gets to tell his version of events first. Be honest with your parents. Give facts, not opinions. Good luck.
@TranquilMind I was at Home Depot over weekend when some guy in big SUV almost hit me in parking lot while he was texting, I saw him park. A little bit of me wanted to go over and say something, but the realities of the world (eg people carry guns) said let it go and I did…But yeah I agree texting/tailgating are problems but I read an article a few weeks ago where two guys got into some road rage issue. One guy followed other into a Walmart parking lot.and stabbed to death other guy.
It takes a few weeks until the “icky” feeling you have thinking about it goes away, completely normal. I have been driving for 40 years and got into an accident recently. I was really shook up for a long time. If you find youself still upset in a few weeks, maybe talking to a counselor will help. It does feel horrible, and we have all been there! Sending you healing thoughts.
I got t-boned shortly after getting my license by a guy running a red lighy while turned yelling at his kids in the backseat. Took me awhile to get rid of the jitters for sure. Not a thing I could have done differently. He was in the left lane and went through the light past 3 cars stopped at the light in the right hand lane and I just happened to be the unlucky car in position to be hit and nowhere to go. If anything an accident does make you more aware of what is happening all around you and it should never stop. I got hit by a jacknifing semi decades later.