Car Talk

There are many locations that lend themselves to possible disasters. And a college campus parking lot is one of those places. Awkward designated parking spots, combined with frustration from tardiness and unavailable parking, create an overly active environment. This can prove problematic during navigation.

When outside looking in, the parking lot is like a game of Pac-Man. All of the moving objects are easily identifiable. As a result, an outsider can predict a possible collision with time to spare.

As the two cars moved closer towards each other, I could feel the nervousness start welling up inside me and move throughout my body. My eyes definitely widened and, I’m almost certain, I leaned forward in the direction of the movement. Almost like watching a ping-pong match, my stare went back and forth from one driver to the next. Do they really not see each other? Are they…Wait…Oh my God….”HORN!”

Right before the vehicles slid ever so closely next to each other, my anxiety became so great that I decided to warn these drivers of this up-and -coming disaster by yelling, quite loudly, the exact reaction I would have had at that moment. Horn?! Did I just yell, “Horn” at those people sitting in their cars with their windows up?

I looked over at my friend who I had been conversing with just moments before and started laughing. Where did that come from? It’s interesting to see, or hear, instinct take over in situations where reaction time is limited. With that said, should natural impulses be followed in all situations? Or are they only appropriate, and acceptable, when disaster strikes?