You Should Never Think It Won’t Happen To You

I was a really young girl when I first read Luke 22, in the New Testament. The account of Jesus foretelling Peter’s denial really impacted me and it’s a teaching I always ponder about in my own life. Although I believe myself to be mostly confident and committed, I tell myself “You should never think it won’t happen to you.”

Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 

Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me.”

And that he did. The first time, he said to a servant girl “Woman, I do not know him.” (verse 55). The second time he declared “Man, I am not.” when someone said he was “with” Jesus (verse 58). The third time, right before the rooster crowed, he denied being with Jesus, exclaiming: “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” (verse 59).

In verse 62, we learn that “he went out and wept bitterly.”

He shouldn’t have thought it wouldn’t happen to him. Recognizing our own humanity could prevent much depression, disappointment, and division in our lives.

Being so sure of ourselves that we believe we are perfect and immovable in any area can be our doom. Peter was so sure that he would go to prison and death with Jesus that he didn’t question himself, and therefore, didn’t prepare himself for the trying hours. This can happen to each of us when we are so sure.

This can happen to each of us when we are so sure that we wouldn’t “be that mom,” “let our child do that,” or “raise our kid to be that way.” We create separation between us and those moms and kids we judge, and we create expectations for ourselves that we simply cannot fulfill. 

I’ve seen this kind of judgment whenever really unfortunate accidents happen. Moms on social media and in social gatherings grow obsessed talking about these tragedies, pointing fingers at the “neglectful mom” who didn’t see the obvious coming. A Dominican proverb says “no escupas para arriba” (don’t spit upwards), because that very thing we say we would never do is the most likely to happen to us.

As much as there is a false sense of empowerment related to blaming someone else, the truth is that we are all imperfect and we all have the same nature. We are all capable of the same greatness and of the same disgrace as the next person. It doesn’t matter how holy and righteous we think we are, we can disappoint ourselves and one another in a second’s time.

Many injuries and fatalities are easily avoidable, especially when it comes to those that happen to children. We all know we should never leave children or babies unattended in a closed vehicle – not even for a second. And yet, these types of tragedies do not cease to happen. Bad moms? I don’t think so… I think it’s more like “I left for just a minute and I didn’t think anything bad would happen.”

And something bad did happen. And then it was too late. 

When I was really little, there were five of us in my home and all of us rode on a motorcycle, with no helmet. No one wore a seatbelt, and it was commonplace for kids to ride in the back of a pickup truck, even through unforgiving country roads, with plenty of swerving and hard turns. This may all sound ridiculous to you, but they didn’t think anything could happen – at least not to them.

I think being positive comes with being prepared. When you get on the road, it is imperative to know that you are ready for the journey. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children 3 to 14 years old, and it’s mostly because we are too optimistic and let our guard down.

I recently was invited to SeaWorld with my family and we knew it was important to drive a vehicle that is equipped with the latest safety technology- the incomparable Chevy Tahoe. We had an incredible time in San Antonio and loved having comfort and connectivity on the road, even in the most remote locations with the built in 4G LTE Wi–Fi! I was able to do homework while Taylor Bare drove and the girls enjoyed Disney movies on the back. They were thrilled!

As drivers, it is our responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner, to remain attentive to traffic, surroundings and road conditions at all times. Some common safety measures are:

• Buy a car that is known for its safety features and excellent crash test scores.

• Use your trunk! In the case of a collision, kids will be injured by coming in contact with loose objects, even groceries, clothes, and pets.

• Use age-appropriate and properly installed car seats and make sure the child is buckled up before you start driving. An unrestrained child will become a projectile in a crash and will be violently ejected.

• If your child is hungry or crying, park safely before you try to calm him or her down. 

I felt really safe driving a Chevy for a week, but with that being said, Chevrolet is committed to helping parents avoid situations where summer moments become tragic incidents, not only on the road but off the road, too. Believe it or not, most kids are killed in non-traffic motor vehicle accidents, and sadly enough, studies show that 70 percent of the time the person responsible for killing the child is a direct family member. Probably someone who fooled themselves into thinking it could never happen to them.

“I would never forget my child in the car!” Famous. Last. Words. 

Like Peter, we think we’ve got it together. But considering that children are unintentionally left in hot cars more often than we care to admit, it turns out we shouldn’t be as confident as we sometimes are. A trapped child in a hot enclosure can develop heat stroke or hyperthermia and die within a matter of a few minutes! 

I live in Fort Worth and it is alarming that Texas leads the nation in hot car deaths for 2017. If nearly 50 percent of nation’s hot car deaths happened in Texas, I want to be more intentional about the possibility that I could be one of those grieving parents. That attitude will help me be mindful, intentional, and attentive when it comes to this issue.

Non-traffic incidents that can injure a child can happen in your driveway, a parking lot, and even your garage. When kids are left alone, besides heat damage, they can accidentally putting a car into gear and potentially crashing, burned by lighters, injured by windows, and trapped in trunks. 

The first step to take is to acknowledge that it could happen to you – and to your child, and then think what you could do to prevent it. It’s not enough to have the intention to never leave the child unattended or to teach the child that cars are dangerous and they should stay away. It can happen to the best of us and here are 7 tips that can help lower these risks:

1. Keep the car locked, even in the driveway or in the garage.

2. Use the window lockout switch and use auto reverse on all power windows and doors to avoid the child getting caught.

3. Pull up your emergency brake whenever your vehicle is parked.

4. Keep your purse and cell phone in the backseat, so you’ll  need to look there before you leave the car.

5. Never leave the keys in the vehicle and store your car keys in a secure place, where kids can’t find them or don’t have access to them.

6. Buy a car with a transmission shift interlock, rearview cameras and front and rear park assist systems.

7. Before getting in a vehicle, walk all the way around your parked vehicle to check for children or anything that could attract a child to come running toward it, such as a pet or a toy.

And that reminds me: According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, on average there are 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries a year caused by backover crashes. Of those crashes, NHTSA estimates that 40 percent occurred in residential areas, with 24 percent happening in driveways. Chevrolet is introducing Surround Vision technology in its vehicles to alleviate this problem. “The majority of backover incidents are caused by the driver not being able to see their immediate surroundings,” says Rondell Burge, researcher of driver behavior, Chevrolet.

“When you hear about backover or frontover incidents involving parents or grandparents and their little ones, your heart sinks. It’s personal and at Chevy, we want to help drivers see as much of their environment as possible to help them avoid the unthinkable. That’s where Surround Vision can help.”

Surround Vision technology uses four cameras: the standard Rear Vision Camera, a forward-looking camera in the front grille and two side-looking cameras under each side mirror. When drivers shift into reverse, the bird’s-eye view is displayed on the center stack instrument panel, alongside an image from the forward- or rear-looking camera, providing the driver with multiple views of the immediate area.

Chevrolet offers Surround Vision on the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV, Equinox, and Traverse. Rear Vision Camera is available on the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV, Camaro, City Express, Colorado, Corvette, Cruze, Equinox, Express, Impala, Malibu, Silverado, Silverado HD, Sonic, Spark, Suburban, our beloved Chevy Tahoe, Traverse, Trax and Volt.

With the frantic rush and frazzled experience of motherhood, anything is possible and it is best to adopt precautions as if it will surely happen, rather than to weep bitterly because you thought your love for your child would endow you with superpowers – or a super brain. Supermom doesn’t exist. It’s not our parenting skills or our heart that fail us, it’s our human and imperfect brain- which happens to be an amazing gift as is.

Do you ever think it won’t happen to you? Or do you worry too much that it will happen to you? When we are equipped for the road, we can feel prepared to enjoy the journey. Share your safety tips in the comment below!

[ela]