I telecommute from my home office so I like to get out of the house when I can. On weekends, I frequently hang out with the other sailing enthusiasts at the Dallas Corinthian Yacht Club. Since I work from home, you might say that my third place is actually my second place.
In addition to messing about in boats at the Club, I also enjoy the commute to and from. It takes about an hour to get there from my home in Far North Dallas so I like to listen to audiobooks and technical podcasts while I drive. It is usually a peaceful excursion.
Last year while returning from the Club, however, I did get rear-ended while I was waiting at a stoplight. The road was still slick from a heavy rain so I suspect the car started hydroplaning when the driver applied the brakes. The damage was minimal so we did not even bother to report it.
The jolt was a reminder to me just how dangerous driving can be. While the probability of dying in a vehicle accident on any one trip is very low, the probability of dying in a vehicle accident over a lifetime is over one percent. Until self-driving car technology becomes consistently safer than human driving, motor vehicle crashes will continue to be a leading cause of death.
I am not too worried about my weekend jaunts since I am passing through two of the five safest cities in the United States with particularly low vehicular mortality rates. If I had to commute for work in the opposite direction toward downtown Dallas during rush hour traffic, however, I would be worried. The safest commute is the telecommute.
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