PETERS: Near-miss video a reminder of how close we come to disaster every day

It’s completely understandable why the video garnered such a huge response.

First, it’s incredibly dramatic, and a miracle of physics how the two vehicles did not collide.

It’s a video that must be viewed several times to truly grasp how close the call was, and the factors that kept the collision from taking place.

Second, though, is how relatable it is for any driver or passenger.

We’ve all been stuck behind other drivers we wished would move.

We’ve all taken left turns across a lane of highway traffic.

And very likely, we’ve imagined what a crash might be like, and hoped and prayed it wouldn’t happen.

But very few of us have seen a near-miss this close.

It reminds us of our proximity to disaster at any given moment – especially on the roads – and how we rely on the safe driving of everyone else in partnership with our own to make it to our destinations safely every day.

And kudos to the heavy truck driver in this instance.

With just a split second to react, the driver slams on the brakes and makes a quick evasive manouver away from the direction of the car, narrowly avoiding the collision.

Truck drivers get a lot of criticism, and while some of it is warranted, this video shows a very skilled driver whose actions likely saved several lives.

We shudder to think what would have happened had the truck been loaded with logs, making it much harder to slow momentum.

Armchair quarterbacks are happy to place the blame on the driver with the dashcam for pressuring the driver in front of him by honking the horn.

Ultimately, though, a driver is responsible for his or her own actions.

If the driver of the white car recognized proceeding was unsafe, he or she must ignore those honks and wait until it is safe to proceed.

It’s all speculation, though. We can’t speak to the driver of the white car, who carried on down Highway 99, seemingly oblivious to how close they and their passengers were to losing it all in that moment.

The rest of us can look at this incident, though, and recognize the thin line between life and death we all tiptoe every day.

by James Peters

PETERS: Near-miss video a reminder of how close we come to disaster every day

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