Safety Is My Goal

So I was driving to work today and I noticed a sign on the back of a truck that said in big, bold capital letters "SAFETY IS MY GOAL".

Now you may be thinking to yourself. "self, don't we see that very same sign on almost all trucks?", and you would be correct, many trucks indeed have that sign.

So what's different about this one? Well, nothing really, just that I actually took some time to think about what the sign was actually saying. The definition of goal quickly came to my mind:

goal /goʊl/ –noun
1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.
2. the terminal point in a race.
3. a pole, line, or other marker by which such a point is indicated.
4. an area, basket, cage, or other object or structure toward or into which players of various games attempt to throw, carry, kick, hit, or drive a ball, puck, etc., to score a point or points.
5. the act of throwing, carrying, kicking, driving, etc., a ball or puck into such an area or object.
6. the score made by this act.
[Origin: 1275–1325; ME gol boundary, limit; cf. OE gǣlan to hinder, impede]

It occured to me that using the word "goal" is pretty ambiguous. Does the driver mean that safety is an achievement towards which his or her efforts are directed? In this case, safety is something that is yet to come, not yet reached, but at least he/she is trying. I guess that's better than some people. I'm sure that particular truck driver will reach his dream and ambition if he keeps trying.

Then I thought of the second definition, the end of a race. All these truck drivers in the world. We thought they were there to help us ship goods. Balogna. All they want to do is to be the first one to become a safe driver. Once he/she reaches a level of competency deemed to be "safe", there really is no point to driving anymore. The race is done. Pretty soon there will be no more trucks. Huzzah.

Ok so then the whole sports genre of definitions popped into my head like a bowling ball and I thought, "hey truck drivers are only living to throw, shoot, hit things at safety. They're trying to kill it or something." Which makes absolute sense.

The End.