I first saw a version of this sign when I was driving to the Grand Canyon two years ago. The first thought that went through my brain, having never seen any signs like this is in good ole’ flat Southern Ontario, was “that’s kind of funny.” The second thought that quickly followed was “Holy Moly, this road is really so steep that truck drivers can lose control of their trucks.” In the next second you can be sure that I was checking my rear view mirror for big trucks.
I’ve loved these signs since then: mostly for all of the above reasons. Recently, however, I’ve begun to wonder “ if we can build things like runaway truck ramps that give drivers a safe place to stop and collect themselves before starting out again, why has this idea not transferred over to how we live?” If truck drivers are encouraged to pull over when things are not going well, then why don’t the rest of us do the same? It really is a simple concept.
I do believe that the majority of us well recognize the signs of a situation in our lives escalating beyond our control. Wouldn’t it be better if we chose to accept these truths, pulled over safely, and waited till we were ready to start again?
No driver wants to use these ramps and I suspect that when all drivers see signs that proclaim one of these ramps is coming up on the left that they drive a bit more carefully. And isn’t it great that we’ve had the forethought to build these ramps, both as a safe guard and a warning system.
We all recognize the signs of when a something in our lives is careening out of control. Isn’t it time we learned to pull over? Better yet, wouldn’t it be sounder to proceed more cautiously and maybe slow down before we find ourselves in need of a runaway life ramp? These are, of course, rhetorical question.
Wishing you safe driving, presence of mind and a good weekend. Stay well, Heike