S13Ep9: Story Series: Confronting Complacency Behind the Wheel

Have you ever found yourself on autopilot during your daily routine? Accept our invitation to recognize and combat complacency, which could have far-reaching consequences in our lives.

Host: Tim Page-Botorff
Guest: Yvonne Wallace

Transcript

Tim Page-Bottorff: 0:07

Hey welcome to SafeTalk with Safe Start. I'm Tim Page-B ottorff and joining me today is one of my favorite Client Managers, Yvonne Wallace. Yvonne welcome back to the podcast.

Yvonne Wallace: 0:17

Thanks between us, you're one of my favorites as well.

Tim Page-Bottorff: 0:21

Hashtag awesome I appreciate it. Thank you so much, and I've asked Yvonne to be here today to continue our Story S eries. And just a quick reminder of how this series works. She's going to share her story. I'll instruct you when to hit pause for a group discussion and when you're done, Yvonne and I will be back to share our two cents. Yvonne, you want to get us started with your story.

Yvonne Wallace: 0:46

Absolutely, so rise and shine on a Monday morning, I was getting myself ready to head to work. I also happen to have contractors back now that winter had left and I had some work that I wanted them to finish off and that was beginning on the front porch of my duplex back in the fall. So before I got my car, I had a quick chat with them, showing them the lights I wanted up and the mailbox positioning and where I wanted the numbers placed on the new beams, and then said you know, have a great day. And headed to my car.

Yvonne Wallace: 1:19

As I was reversing out of the parking lot, there was a big bang and my car abruptly stopped because I had backed into the contractor's trailer which contained all the tools and materials to continue finishing my front porch. So not only did I know they were there, I had just talked to them 30 seconds before I got in my car to leave, and they have massive trucks and trailers and I should have been able to see that it was there or know that it was there Then f or the third issue was that I have a backup camera in my car, so I would have been able to see it through the backup camera. But anyway, I called the two guys over and told them what I had done and there was not even a scratch on their trailer, thank goodness, and there was just a really thin line on the bumper of my car, so really lucky.

Tim Page-Bottorff: 2:13

My goodness, this is kind of a great place for me to step in here. In a moment I'll ask you to pause the episode and when you do that, discuss those states and those errors and those CERTs that you think Yvonne could have used going forward to avoid this in the future. And, of course, don't forget to answer the question of how much worse this could have been. Yvonne and I will be back here when you get done. We'll see you in just a few minutes.

Tim Page-Bottorff: 2:38

All right, so we're back. Yvonne, what did you come up for? The states in your for yourself?

Yvonne Wallace: 2:46

I really don't feel I was rushing, frustrated or tired, but that sneaky b***** complacency really crept in and I failed to realize that my surroundings or environment had changed. So, as we know, when we aren't able to sell, we can't sell trigger on complacency because we're in that kind of flow state or dreamlike state.

Tim Page-Bottorff: 3:09

So you think you kind of were an autopilot. I kind of get complacency which led to basically some errors. Was complacency it?

Yvonne Wallace: 3:19

I really think it was complacency.

Yvonne Wallace: 3:21

I'm just doing the same thing each day, reversing to get myself on to work, but eyes and mind not on task would have been another issue, and that led eventually to line of fire.

Yvonne Wallace: 3:34

So what I've done now is created a new habit, which is very much in infant stages and far from being to have a strength yet, so I practice this every day. And far from being to have a strength yet, so I practice this every day. And what I do now is I walk around my car each morning and, instead of getting in the driver's side and then setting down, you know, my purse, or reaching across and putting my purse and lunch bag in the passenger seat, I walk around my car, open the passenger door and set my purse and lunch on the passenger seat, which forces me to look for anything that could happen to be on the ground nails, kids or whatever, what have you and then I look at the pathway, out the driveway and ensure that it's clear. I am also considering reversing into this back parking lot, which is a little more tricky because all the parking is on an angle, but it also, again, if I'm looking at that front windshield, that might be something else that will help me not recreate the same situation again.

Tim Page-Bottorff: 4:34

Thank you for painting that step, the state to error pattern. And so you literally just said complacency led to eyes and mind not on task and a potential line of fire or actually was line of fire, sorry and that you created a new habit. I will say many of our customers, clients they've adopted the strategies that you just mentioned the walk around and the pull through or backing in, specifically when they're parking. It just kind of gives you a clearer view when you're actually coming out into traffic or going straight out. So thank you for that. So let's go ahead and talk about how it could have been worse.

Yvonne Wallace: 5:09

So many ways I could have been reversing even faster than I was and more damage could have been done, which is costing me money, not only on my own personal vehicle but on the contractor's trailer. I could have hit a person which would have haunted me the rest of my life, not to mention if they sued, I could be financially ruined as well. So, and I also have a lot several little kids down both sides of the street, kind of under five, who run all around the streets, happen to be in their diapers and may have, you know, wandered into my path. So I'm thinking this new habit hopefully will allow me to visually see what is blocking my path and shake me out of that complacency in the future.

Tim Page-Bottorff: 5:53

Well, those are great, great answers or conversations that you've given us, and I appreciate that Now all of you out there listening and doing the pausing and stopping and reflecting, you might have come up with some different answers than Yvonne did, and that's okay. Remember, there's no absolutes in this. It's much more about the process as opposed to getting the right answers, and so that was an incredible story. Thank you very much for that, Yvonne, and I will say that you got me kind of chuckling there when you said when you look for things on the ground, you're looking for nails and kids. So then, now that you've got some kids that are in your neighborhood under five, it's probably a good thing to look for them. Whether they're on the ground or not, I suspect that you probably hire them to investigate or inspect your car underneath. That's a joke, anyways, I got to tell you, Yvonne. thank you so much for spending some time and telling your story today. I really do appreciate it.

Yvonne Wallace: 6:50

Oh, it's been a pleasure. Thank you for having me.

Tim Page-Bottorff: 6:56

It's been my pleasure, and so that's it for today. Remember, I want you to share this episode, and you may want to share this with maybe one of your drivers in a family or a family member that might be beginning to drive, and so, for Yvonne and the rest of the Safe Talk team, thank you so much for sharing part of your day with us, for Safe Talk with a Safe Start. I'm Tim Page-Bottorff and we'll see you down the road.