How a Second Can Change Your Life and the Importance of Situational Awareness
Recently, I was driving down a congested street just before rush hour in the South Side of Chicago. This is an industrial area that is bordered by a park along with a small neighborhood of single family homes and three-flat apartments. It’s not the greatest neighborhood, but there are many that are more violent, particularly at night. During the daytime, the majority of people on the streets and in their cars are running errands or trying to get to and from work or school.
The Set Up
I was in the tail end of the line of cars trying to make their way through the intersection with a stoplight that has a short green. We made it through, but traffic was stop and go due to a stop sign a couple of blocks down the road. A few seconds after we crossed the intersection, it appeared that a red mini SUV ran the light and struck a vehicle at the end of our traffic line. It was a hard crash, and the red vehicle was seriously damaged and it seemed that the one it hit had occupants with injuries.
To my surprise, the red vehicle tried to flee the scene, as it was obviously the one that caused the collision. However, its front end was badly damaged, and one of the front tires was gone and riding on the rim. Somehow the vehicle began to limp forward in the center turning lane of the road. A couple of seconds later, a large green monster truck barreled out of the intersection and raced toward the red vehicle. It was now clear that there was some kind of wild chase going on.
The red truck slammed into the red vehicle and pushed it along past my car and the string of vehicles that were sitting in traffic. Soon, the red one sped up on it’s own, and crashed a couple of blocks ahead. While I heard the crash, I couldn’t see it because of the cars in front of me. However, I did hear the sound of gunfire (about five shots) before screeching tires and an engine revving up. A couple of seconds later, the monster truck appeared again, racing down the street in the opposite direction until it disappeared down a side street or alley.
This all happened in the space of a few seconds. Vehicles ahead of me tried to make U-Turns whereas others stayed put. It seems that those closer to the shooting and crash sensed more danger and tried to get out of the area as quickly as possible. Others further back, like myself, elected to stay put and assess the situation for a few seconds. Once the cars saw the monster truck leaving, they continued on as if nothing happened.
Seconds Stand Still
One thing I was reminded of during this brief episode was that my situational awareness needs a little bit of improvement. I was able to sense time standing still, assess where I was, what escape routes I had, how I would react if I got caught in the crossfire and whether or not I should intervene or call 911. However, I feel as though my senses were sluggish and I should have reacted more assertively a lot sooner. On the other hand, I did follow my instincts, didn’t panic, and thought things through as I took in the situation. I will never know what the right answer was, but the outcome was happy.
I could have turned around. I could have hid behind some parked cars and called 911. I could have backed up and attended to the innocent victims of the crash. However, I elected to drive on and get out of the area altogether. I didn’t have a gun or any type of weapon on me. I am not proficient in self-defense. I also thought of recent racial tensions and didn’t want to be exposed in a tense situation in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Under different circumstances, I would most definitely react in a way that promotes my safety and well-being while being in a position to help others. However, I didn’t feel safe or sense that the scene was secure enough for me to intervene. I also considered the fact that I would have to give a statement if I identified myself as a witness, and I didn’t want to get involved in a prolonged legal process as I was only visiting town for a couple of weeks.
While some may disagree with my decisions as well as my reasoning, I learned another very important aspect of survival. The moment the rubber hits the road, we snap into a mindset of self-preservation. This is a defense mechanism that takes over and helps us to focus on saving ourselves and loved ones. However, sometimes this is a selfish response, and we can make choices that we may regret later, particularly when it comes to not taking risks to help others. Use your best judgment, and decide what your response to the situation based on the circumstances at hand.
Inasmuch as I am happy that I or other motorists didn’t get hurt in the crossfire, and that I took good defensive steps to escape if necessary, I also realize that the lives of the parties involved in the chase and shooting also changed very quickly. Many probably not for the better. This incident has also reminded me that things can go from normal to deadly in the blink of an eye.
Good situational awareness and making the proper response in a timely manner is essential to getting out of harm’s way. Never let your guard down, always be aware of your surroundings, and consider how you would respond to a variety of plausible events that you may encounter with little or no warning.
