Flashback Friday~ Do you know how fast you were going?

Wow, it’s been a while since I did a Flashback Friday,but since I am trying to post every day this week I thought I would join in on the fun!

 

Thinking primarily of your growing-up years and your early years of driving, have you ever been in an auto accident?

When I was very young but officially out on my own I was on my way to work one morning and as I was pulling through an intersection a young man (teenager) who was late for school went blowing through the four way stop and clipped me on the front of my car. Thankfully it was not a T-Bone situation. My car spun around a few times and I was thrown about a bit in the car. My car at the time was my 1962 Ford Fairlaine so it did not have a shoulder strap on the seat belt. I was thrown sideways and I hit the dash a bit and whacked my head pretty good on the steering wheel, but other wise was unhurt. My car was a bit dinged up but given the solid steel construction of those cars it was like driving around in a tank so I was fairly safe.

Thankfully since it was the other persons fault for falling to stop at the four way stop I am sure he receive a ticket.

Have you ever received a traffic ticket?

If memory serves I have receive maybe two traffic tickets over the course of my driving career. One when I was in my early thirties and then another one several years are. Oddly enough both instance my son was in the car with me. The first time he was a toddler. He was a rather rambunctious young thing full of energy. He is also is lot like his dad in the respect that there are very few mechanical devices that he could not figure out or take apart even as a toddler. One of the objects that he learned very quickly was the release button on the buckle on the the car seat. He use to get multiple scolding's about getting out of his car seat while on route.

How many times did I have to pull over and get him securely back in his car seat?

It did not take him long to learn that there was certain pain and suffering involved in getting out of his car seat. I had finally trained him to not unbuckle his car seat until we got home and I had pulled into the driveway and the car had come to a compete stop.

Coming to a complete stop is the key phrase you need to remember.

It was just before Christmas and I was so overjoyed at having just finished up the last of my shopping that I was not paying a bit of attention to how fast I was going. Before I knew it there was a nifty blue light in my rearview mirror. I don't even remember who many miles over the speed limit I was going, but what I do remember was the minute I pulled over and brought the car to a complete stop this triggered the signal to my son that it was now time to get out of his car seat. By the time the office got up to my car I was leaning around yelling at my son to get back in his car seat all the while trying to explain to the officer that no I was not driving around with a toddler wander around in the back of my van.

What role, if any, did seat belts and car seats have in your early years?

Seat belts have always been a way of life for me. My children all had car seat and wearing your seat belt was never an option.

I do have some very vivid memories of visiting my grandparent when I was a very young child. If memory serves this was back before seat belts were required in cars. I don’t remember what kind of car my grandmother had but I do remember the instructions she gave me every time we went anywhere in the car. She would slide in behind the wheel and then she would tell me to get into the car and I would get wedged between her shoulder and the seat and she would hold me in place with the top of her forearm. I guess she thought that if we were in an accident that she would be able to shield me by holding her arm in front of me.

She was trying to protect me with her own body while driving the car. I am not sure how she did it but she did. Isn’t it amazing the things you remember.

Well I haven't don a Flashback Friday in  long time. If you want to link up y’all head over to Mocha with Linda for more Flashback fun.

Don't forget to click over for my anniversary giveaway and remember Skoots1mom has her giveaway going on too.

Blessings

R