Bumper Cars — Be Safe & Sane in Parking Lots
Over the past couple of decades, cars have grown larger and parking lot stalls seem to have shrunk; or at least that’s the way it seems. While out running errands today, I wound up in three very small and overcrowded parking lots that don’t seem to have been designed for the times — and that just adds to challenges posed by oversized vehicles and inexperienced, impatient or frazzled drivers. I slowed my own pace to bear witness.
It was amazing to me how fast cars were zipping around and through cars trying to get in and out of stalls, how there was little to no patience, and how inconsiderate people were about how they parked within the stalls (not considering whether the car next to them would have room to open their car doors). They just didn’t seem to pay attention or maybe they just don’t care. Driver courtesy went out the window. Everyone was in a hurry, and I saw Suburbans and large, oversized SUVs and trucks parked in compact spaces — and of course since they didn’t fit, an extra space was taken away. It’s amazing there weren’t more accidents involving the cars themselves and pedestrians.
From research I’ve done, it seems something like 20-25% of all accidents happen in parking lots. And over 50% of injuries resulting from backing-up accidents happen when a vehicle backs into a pedestrian in a parking lot.
Here are some things to consider that can allow you to keep yourself, your car and others around you safe and sane: …


September 25, 2017,
Working in the corporate arena, as an employee or consultant, chances are you’ve experienced politics from time to time, and chances are you’ve not always come up with the winning hand in every situation.
It was sixteen years ago today; that terrible day that “will live in infamy” for our generation. There’s no doubt it was one of the darkest days most of us have ever experienced during our lifetime. And yet, on reflection, some good things did come from it — for me personally, and for us as a society.
None of us gets through life alone — and it’s important to pause and reflect periodically on the importance of having people in our lives who really honor and support us in life through thick and thin, whether that’s a whole tribe of individuals, just a few — or even just one. Whether family, friends, colleagues, advisors or some combination of all of these. That becomes increasingly so apparent to me as the years go by. And I’ve been seeing evidence of the importance of having a support structure all around me lately — in my own life and in the lives of others. It may be helpful to share some examples to illustrate this with more clarity. …
I recently interviewed Jim Messina on