A big worry for drivers (including myself) is getting into a crash. I have been driving for nearly two years now and hadn’t been in a crash, nor had any close calls. Unfortunately, on the sunny afternoon of Thursday, April 8, that changed.
I was driving on Route 101 East in Dayville, Connecticut, passing the Shell gas station and Railside Tavern on my way to get a free pizza at Domino’s I earned through my pizza rewards. I was approaching a traffic light right by the Killingly Commons entrance, but right before it, there’s another plaza on the right called the Bell Park Square. There was traffic ahead and the light was red, so I began slowing down. The road goes to two lanes right by the Bell Park Square entrance and exit, and I was going into the right lane because I had a right turn ahead to get to Domino’s. A driver looking to turn left out of Bell Park Square, and a motorcyclist in the left lane saw a gap of no traffic heading west, so he waved the driver out. I was coming into the lane right as the driver was pulling out, and … bang! She bumped into the right passenger side door.
First and foremost, no one was hurt. An adrenaline rush of anxiety came over me. Was she going to run away? I was upset I got into a crash, but I’m thankful that the car still was drivable. I called my parents to let them know, and my dad was out doing errands and was able to come right away. We pulled into Bell Park Square to meet up and exchange information. The motorcyclist came to check on us, and he felt bad about what happened. The other driver was a 16-year-old girl who was very emotional about happened. I completely understood her anxiety about the situation, and, I won’t lie, I nearly got emotional, too.
My dad arrived and so did the girl’s mom and sister. At the same time, we called the nearby state police troop in Danielson for assistance, and an officer came right away. When the officer came, he made sure we were doing OK, and I told him about what happened. He assessed the site of the crash, and then he had me and the girl over to discuss the situation. He assessed the area where we collided and based on the damage to our vehicles, he found the girl at fault for the crash. She didn’t get a ticket for failure to yield, but she got a warning. I’m glad her stress didn’t increase even more, but she did learn a valuable lesson about knowing when it’s safe to proceed out of a plaza onto a busy road.
Two days after the crash, my dad and I stopped by the state police troop in Danielson to visit the officer to say thank you for his patience and understanding. We told him about my autism diagnosis, and he said that he knew I was autistic right away. He saw that I was anxious when I first met him, but saw me improve as we talked about the situation and the outcome. This was my first interaction with a police officer other than interacting with detail officers when I worked at the movie theater, so I wasn’t sure what to expect this time around. The officer was very friendly, and his job was to educate us about the situation so we know about moving forward and we stay safe.
While we were at the station, the officer gave my dad and me an envelope that lets officers know that I’m autistic and provides steps on the paper for them to help ensure that I’m safe. It also includes a compartment to include the insurance and registration information. In doing research for my blog post I found other states offer a similar awareness envelope or a magnet for your car alerting police that the driver of the car is autistic. Having that information available for autistic drivers is crucial because it can help any alleviate any sensory issues (i.e., sirens) and provide effective communication between the driver and officer. Car crashes and traffic stops can be scary situations for any autistic driver, but officers are only there to provide assistance and education to alleviate the anxiety and stress. Police officers do an outstanding job keeping our communities safe, and I’m so thankful the Danielson Police Troop D came to help us out after the crash.
I’m available to do virtual and in-person presentations on this topic and others. Please feel free to reach out via zsmith2@worcester.edu and Facebook messenger for more information!
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