Three times this week, I was almost in a car accident.

Each time, I was getting ready to enter a main road from a driveway or side road. Each time, I was nearly hit by a car I didn’t see coming.

All of the roads were very familiar to me. I travel them all the time.

I did a little self-assessment. What was I doing wrong? I realized that each of the circumstances had a common feature. Typically, when I enter the roads in question, nothing is coming from that direction. In other words, I almost got hit because I assumed there was no risk.

It causes me to think of safety in a plant. How many times do accidents occur because we minimize the risk that exists?

We are taught that when we enter a road, we look left, right, then left again. Then proceed, if it’s clear. I realized I was exposed to an accident because I wasn’t looking in all directions. I’d let the fundamental safety rule go at the expense of convenience.

I recommitted to looking “left, right, then left”—no more close calls. I’m not getting senile, but recommitting to my good habits.

Consider your close calls. To what fundamentals do you need to recommit?