Accidents - When Impalas and Proteges Collide

Poor Protege!

I had never been in a real car accident until today. Before today, I had been bumped so that my then Volvo tank didn't get a scratch. I had even been in a situation where my friend was driving and his tire was popped. We stood in the rain while he put on the spare. But today I was in a real accident, one that did damage.

And thankfully, this time, it was the other guy's fault.

I have always been a big proponent of being careful on the road. I always double check my blind spot. I use my blinkers. I anticipate where other drivers will be on the road at least several seconds in front of me. I scan my mirrors. In many ways, I'm a textbook driver (Well, I did say in many ways!). So I watched with horror as I completed my U-turn, or attempted to this morning, as the other driver failed to look where he was going. In fact, his head was turned a completely different direction.

It seems strange to me that I should go through life in many places with horrible traffic, and yet the first time I am in a real accident, it's in a place like Bakersfield. I mean, I survived 9 months in the Bay Area, where driving is a contact sport and frankly death defying! I even lived in Phoenix, escaping the oblivious Toyota driving snow-birds and the gun-toting alcoholic Ford drivers. I even survived living in Santa Barbara and driving through Montecito where drivers assume they are entitled to go whenever and wherever they want. 

The saddest thing is the damage may be enough to total the car. This is in part because the car is a 2003 model and damage this extensive will likely total the vehicle. So I guess I'm going to have to go car shopping? *sigh*