Crash Course

This happened about 2 months ago.

Our family, along with a couple of family friends, was returning from ISKCON. We'd taken off our footwear before entering the temple and had left it in the car. We entered the car and I took the wheel. I usually drive with footwear on, but on this day I decided to go barefoot.

Soon after we started, we noticed a strikingly pungent odour in the car. While wondering what the source of this odour was, we opened the car windows to let in some fresh air, but to no avail. Malodourous air continued to trouble us.

The car was moving on the traffic choked west of chord road where the metro barricades stifle traffic worse than we were choked on that fateful night! At the same time, people inside the car started speculating about the cause of this stench. It was agreed up on that the most probable cause was someone's footwear. Driving as I was without footwear, my dad tugged at the sandals that lay by my feet to examine them. So conscious and insecure was I of whether it was my footwear that was causing this problem, I got distracted and took my eyes off the road. The vehicle must've been doing 20-25 kmph. I got alerted by a voice in the backseat. I lifted my eyes to see a Canter truck right in front of me. I pressed hard on the brakes, or thought I did, for my feet, usually inside footwear while driving, hadn't compensated for their absence. My feet slipped down without applying the brakes. However, the impact did.

*CRASH*

It wasn't a dangerous impact seeing as how traffic was so slow. It was devastating, nonetheless. The canter's rear was at such a height that it directly impacted the delicate innards of the car, just under the bonnet which deformed like crumpling paper before my eyes.

The impact cost us around forty two thousand rupees after insurance coverage.

While returning from the service center, we noticed that foul smell was still in the air. It must've been some industry in that area causing the air pollution. This still doesn't explain how there was foul odour inside the car as soon as we started. At a later date, it was discovered that the latter was caused by a problem in the A/C unit.

Obviously, the accident was entirely my fault for having forgotten the primary duty of a driver - never lose the road. However, let us look at the remarkable turn of events that led to this accident.

1. I decide to drive without footwear.

2. A problem with the A/C unit decides to prop up right then, stinks up the air inside.

3. I've worn the same sandals I wore to work.

4. The polluting factory stinks up the air outside.

5. My dad decides to inspect the nature of my sandals. As a result, he too has taken his eyes off the road.

If any of these things hadn't happened that day, that accident might have been avoided. Anyway, now it feels like I just paid forty two thousand rupees on a 2 second course that screams out loud what I'd dismissed as so redundant a platitude - Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.