Fender Bender - Seatbelt to the Rescue!

Sounds dramatic enough? Good. I'll make a swell Gh journalist :D

I never thought the day would come where I'd be promoting the use of seatbelts. Yep, that day is today. I'm not much of a seatbelt wearer but lately I wear mine religiously, why? (ummmm... why am I asking a question I'm gon answer myself?) Cos I got tired of parting with my money anytime a cop stopped me cos I dint have it on. Plus I'm pretty tired of hiding and trying to avoid cops (as though I were a criminal). It's worked well thus far. My money's being saved up for more Kwaku Doe interogations and I'm not into hide and seek no more. Basically, I feel free.

Now, I have another story to tell. Wearing my seatbelt saved my life (well, that is kinda exaggerated, but it sort of did). I'm driving home from work one day and I have a passenger (one of my work colleagues). I of course have my seatbelt on but she doesn't. I'm not particularly bothered cos I know the cops are not going to hustle me if my passenger doesn't have their seatbelt on (pretty selfish huh?). I have sat in cars where the driver insisted I put on my seatbelt, but like I said earlier, I'm not much of a seatbelt person and I know seatbelts weren't invented for the reasons why I even put mine on.

Ok, so we are headed home and then we get to this roundabout. Like I was taught in driving school, I give way to traffic on my left, but most of the cars on my left were just going straight (i.e. to my right) and the cars there were kinda backed up. I on the other hand was going round the roundabout and the cars weren't backed up there. Of course, being Gh, the cars to my left wouldn't stop so those of us going round could move. It was more like "if I can't go, then you won't go too. besides, I have the right of way". Finally, there was an opening, so I made for it as fast as I could before the car on my left moved to block me. The car to my right moved forward fast and in my haste, I dint see he had come to an abrupt stop. Alas I drove right into him. I hit his bumper real hard (I think). I say I think because I honestly don't think it was that hard and neither did the driver of the car I hit (I'll get to him in a bit) but my passenger thought otherwise.

"Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, Dentaa, oh Jesus, Dentaa, Oh my God" - this was coming from my passenger. And I'm thinking, why is this woman over reacting? I turn to tell her to stop being so melodramatic only to find half her body on the floor of the car and the other half sprawled on the dashboard (seriously, I am not being melodramtic). That was when I understood all the drama coming from her. Me, I was where I was supposed to be, in my seat supported by my seatbelt. Since I was the culprit, I found a spot, parked and waited dreading how much I was going to spend fixing the guy's car. Actually, it wasn't damaged. No dent, just a bit of his paint job came off. I'm parked thinking the other car's going to park so we can decide on what to do but no, the guy just drives off. And guess what? He was talking on his cell phone the whole time, (no headset. he had the phone to his ear) but at least he too had his seatbelt on.

Always wear your seatbelt (where it's available) whether you are drving the car or just a passenger. Drivers, insist your passengers put on their seatbelts (for thier own sakes). Gh cops, hustle drivers when their passengers don't have their seatbelts on. Don't talk and drive especially on a cell phone (even if you have a headset on. It can be distracting).

I checked the front of my car and it was fine. No dent, no nothing. Just a bit of the other car's paint job stuck on my car. And now I'm praying he doesn't read my blog and find out I'm the lady that run into him (just in case he got home and decided I should pay for his bumper to be sprayed).