Saturday, September 5, 2009

Driving Me Crazy


Evidently it is fairly common here in Botswana for people to not have a driver's license or carry car insurance. At least it is common for the 2 people who have plowed into us since August 25. (Today is Sept. 5)

The first accident occurred right in front of policemen so there was no quarrel with whose fault it was. BUT, the police did not even ask to see the other guy's license, registration or proof of insurance. I guess it is a good thing, because he had NONE of the 3. I know this happens in the USA but I think that licensed, insured and registered drivers far outnumber those who are not.

Today we were in the parking lot of the nearby mall, getting ready to enter onto a side road to head towards home. A young lady driving a Mazda 3, newer model, was distracted (her word) and failed to see the stop sign. Fortunately Aaron saw her barreling towards us at a rate of speed that was WAY too high for a parking lot. If he had not slammed on the brakes, she would have hit our pickup in the passenger door and I probably would have been hurt.

When speaking with her and obtaining her name, phone number, etc., we discovered she had no license, and no insurance. How could we be so lucky to have two people hit us in two different vehicles who are both uninsured, etc.

I am thankful that in both cases no one was hurt.

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