Things Are Not Always As They Seem

Years ago I read about----and possibly it's an urban legend----a girl who was in a terrible car accident. When those responding got to her body in the car (this was before airbags), they found a book lodged between her and the steering wheel. So naturally there was outrage and disbelief over how crazy it was that this girl had been reading while she was driving. Possibly she was, but I just bet that she was doing what I do all the time:

I like to read and I read a lot---but because of coming and going and busy schedules and being a taxi driver for my kids, much of my reading happens in the car. Not while I'm driving, mind you! but while waiting for a kid to get out of class, waiting at an appointment, or---most commonly--waiting at a red light. Many a book I've read in fits and starts while waiting at a light. So here's how it goes: I've got the book open to the page and read a line or two, maybe even a paragraph, while the light is red. The light changes to green, I lay the book (open to my spot) on my stomach, and continue to drive. There'll be another red light just up ahead and I can thus quickly pick it up and read the next line or paragraph. And so on. It works like a charm. Not as pleasant a reading experience as, say, curled up on the couch with a diet coke handy, but still it works. And I just think the possibilities are great that this girl I mentioned was doing just that. She wasn't reading while she was driving (though I know sometimes people stupidly do) but she was just creating a reading shortcut.

So the next time you read about someone in an accident and there's a book lodged between him or her and the airbag, don't just assume it was some crazy who was reading while driving! It was just someone really smart with a clever system and the accident was completely unrelated.

That's all I'm saying.