The expression “better late than never” really hit home for me last weekend.
As much as I hate to admit it, I was late for an assignment last Saturday because I didn’t give myself enough time to get to Sandy Beach for 4 p.m.
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If you’ve travelled north on Highway 17 in the past year, you know crews are widening the road between Four Mile and Six Mile. Drivers are stopped in both directions while road workers allow traffic to flow one way at a time.
Yes, it’s annoying. Yes, it adds time to your trip. But it’s a necessary evil to get the work done.
I may have been in a rush on Saturday, but traffic was heavy and I didn’t feel a dire need to speed once I passed the construction zone north of Six Mile.
The driver in front of me, however, didn’t share that sentiment.
A white SUV with a “baby on board” sticker pulled into the left lane to pass the vehicle ahead. Looking up the highway, I could see a vehicle driving south and instantly thought, “This driver doesn’t have enough time to pass.”
The motorist being passed must have thought the same thing; they moved onto the shoulder to help prevent a head-on collision between the two vehicles in the southbound lane.
Suddenly, the vehicles were three-wide as they passed each other — two heading north and one heading south.
I can’t imagine what the other drivers were feeling, but my own heart was pounding. I had just witnessed what could have easily been a deadly crash.
The ironic part? The SUV with the baby on board sticker pulled into Sandy Beach Regional Park a mere 30 seconds before me. Worth the risk? I’d say not.
I’ve written about this topic during the winter, too. We all have somewhere to be, and it’s our re-sponsibility as motorists to ensure the safety of others on the road.
It is always better to arrive late than never at all.
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