Near Miss

Today I want to talk about something that happened to me on a recent run.

I nearly got hit by a car. It was one very near miss.

I live in a small country town but that doesn’t mean I’m not safe from idiots.

I take precautions when I run.  Like the following:

• Wear high-visibility clothing on early morning or evening runs.
• Run against traffic (when I have to run on the road)
• I tell someone where I’m going and how long I will be.
• On trail runs, I carry my phone with me.

It wasn’t an unusual day weather-wise.  It was a cold Autumn morning.  I ran at 9 am, it was sunny. I ran on the footpath.  I was wearing headphones.

Now I know some people would say if you weren’t wearing the headphones this wouldn’t have happened.  The thing is, you need to take in other factors.

This is the footpath I was on, and the arrow tells you the dirction I was going.

Due to a high fence, the person reversing out of their driveway didn’t see me.  I was in their blind spot.  I didn’t see or hear them until they were right in front of me.  They also were reversing too fast.  They missed me by millimetres. Quick reflexes saved me, but I most likely gave them the shock of their life.

I’m ok.

So the lesson reverses slowly out of your driveway, because what if I were a kid? They would have never forgiven themselves.

Be vigilant whether you are a runner or a driver.

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Have you ever had a near miss while out running?
Have you ever been hit by a car?