I love writing, and I write about many things. I try to only post encouraging, inspirational things on my blog, but once in a while, I need to vent. If it’s something I think needs to be brought to everyone’s attention, I’ll post it. I did that a few times in the past when I wrote about Common Courtesy and Unprofessional Professionals.
Well, now I need to rant about something that happens to me almost on a daily basis. Several months ago, after a near miss with another driver, who was on my side of the road, in a curve, I tweeted a line that went something like this; “I’m tired of seeing someone, every day, jerk their steering wheel to get their car out of my lane, and back on their side of the road.” Rarely, does a day go by that it doesn’t happen. Usually, the driver swerves in plenty of time, but I’ve had some close calls. It’s not the same driver most of the time either. It’s just becoming too much.
This morning I had the closest call yet, without being struck by the offending vehicle. I thought it was just the typical, everyday occurrence, but I guess the driver didn’t look up soon enough. They came within inches of us and almost sideswiped my Jeep. I’m not the best driver in the world, in fact, when I was younger I was pretty careless. Now, I usually drive as close to the edge of the road as I possibly can, and when another car gets too close to me, I don’t have anywhere to go except into the ditch. This morning, it was so close and happened so fast, that, all I could do was hold the horn down and cringe.
When I first noticed the number of these incidents rising, I remember several times asking, “What’s wrong with people?” Well, I think I have it figured out. More and more drivers today are not paying attention when they’re behind the wheel. Sounds simple, but it becomes more complicated when you think about the number of reasons they’re distracted.
We all have a lot on our minds. Many people never get enough sleep. Many are talking on their phones, and way too many are texting while driving. These things alone are enough to cause plenty of wrecks and near misses, but as impossible as it may sound, there’s a much bigger, and much more dangerous reason many drivers are distracted these days.
I’m not trying to be funny, but many people on the road today are high. Simple as that. The majority of drivers today are on drugs. You may think that’s an exaggeration, but several major studies have shown that 70% of U.S. Citizens take drugs every day. CBS News, reporting on one of those studies, had this to say:
“Researchers find that nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half receive at least two prescriptions, reports CBS Atlanta. Twenty percent of U.S. patients were also found to be on five or more prescription medications.” Often when people talk about health conditions they’re talking about chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, Dr. St. Sauver stated in a Mayo Clinic press release. However, the second most common prescription was for antidepressants — that suggests mental health is a huge issue and is something we should focus on. And the third most common drugs were opioids, which is a bit concerning, considering their addicting nature.”
Drugs not only impair thinking and reasoning, but they also cause reaction time to drop considerably. That’s for the ones who are on legal drugs and take them as directed. What about those who take more than the directions say? Then there are those who take other people’s prescription drugs and those who take illegal drugs. Now, many people want to legalize marijuana so they can drive around, legally high, smoking it, making the roads even more dangerous. There’s more. Maybe they’re not as bad as narcotics, but Caffeine and Nicotine are drugs, too, and they adversely affect the brain as well.
I understand we all have problems. We all have aches and pains at one time or another. Some pain may be temporary, some may be chronic, and sometimes it can only be controlled by medication. I’m not against medicine when used “as needed.” It’s sad though, that so many are on antidepressants. It’s the second most common prescription in the US. I know depression is a serious thing, but I think many are often misdiagnosed. For the ones who actually do suffer from depression and anxiety, I don’t think pills are always the answer.
Many of these problems have been proven to go away when people turn to Jesus and give everything to him. Studies have shown that people who believe and trust in God, have less stress than those who don’t. Things are just better when Jesus is in your life. When you know that you have a purpose in life. When you know that he is always there to help you, you can make it through anything.
So, if you’re on any medications, please take them as directed, and stop taking them as soon as your problem is gone. If you’re on strong medication that impairs your thinking, or your ability to stay on your side of the road when driving, then please, park your car, and get someone to drive you where you need to go. Protect your life and the lives of others. Please do it before it’s too late.
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