For years I’ve joked with friends that, statistically speaking, getting into an Uber is the most dangerous thing I do.

I haven’t run the numbers on each of my activities but it seems pretty likely – cars are terrifically dangerous (nearly 100 people die each day in traffic accidents) and probably 95% of all the trips I take are in via Uber.

That’s why when my friend Carolyn told me it was her New Years resolution to buckle up in Uber’s I instantly adopted it as mine. Life is too short and it’s just too damn easy.

Not that I was bad at buckling up but for short trips across town, or just driving around on city streets, it was easy to forget.

Last night made me glad I adopted the resolution.

About 9:30 my girlfriend and I crossed Market street in San Francisco in the back seat of an Uber. Unfortunately while our light was very very green, the car coming across on Market street apparently didn’t see the red light and came across traffic at full speed. He hit the car to our left, which was thrown into our car. We were tossed sideways, and though I’m not exactly sure what happened there was a pretty good vertical component as well.

It was fast. It was scary. Everyone was ok, but it was definitely way off the “fender bender” chart. Once we checked everyone was ok and started gathering our wits we started to get out of the car and tried to find my girlfriend’s purse. We looked and looked but couldn’t find it. It has been on her wrist during the accident, where could it have gone?

Turns out the impact had pulled it off her wrist and thrown it into the front seat.

That could have been us if we weren’t bucked up.

Thankfully everyone was ok, but it is a great reminder: even on city streets traffic moves fast enough that it can really hurt you. Be safe. Buckle up. I will.

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