---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Remember that the worst accidents occur…"
description: "\"Remember that the worst accidents occur in the middle of the road.\" — Eugene McCarthy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/eugene-mccarthy-16990_accidents_remember-that-the-worst-accidents-occur_1407789.jpg"
---

#  Remember that the worst accidents occur in the middle of…

![“Remember that the worst accidents occur in the middle of the road.” quote by Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/eugene-mccarthy-16990_accidents_remember-that-the-worst-accidents-occur_1407789.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/eugene-mccarthy-16990_accidents_remember-that-the-worst-accidents-occur_1407789.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/eugene-mccarthy-16990_accidents_remember-that-the-worst-accidents-occur_1407789.jpg)

> “Remember that the worst accidents occur in the middle of the road.”

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Road safety is most vulnerable when drivers become complacent, assuming safety is guaranteed.

**In simple terms:** Accidents happen when we let guard down.

Key Takeaway

Stay alert, especially on familiar routes.

Themes

safety attention complacency

Mood

concerned alert

Type

cautionary practical

When to use this quote

- daily commute
- long-distance travel
- construction zones

Key Concepts

risk perception human factors

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you maintain vigilance on routine drives?
- What habits reinforce safe driving?

A Different Perspective

Even with caution, unpredictable events can still occur.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Middle of the road](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-of-the-road/)

## Related quotes

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> [The middle of the road is a poor place to walk. It is a poor place to drive. It is a poor place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/the-middle-of-the-road-is-a-poor-place-to-walk-it-is-a-poor-place-to/)

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> [We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/we-know-what-happens-to-people-who-stay-in-the-middle-of-the-road/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [“I'll walk in the middle of the road. No more standing safely to the side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-hassan/i-ll-walk-in-the-middle-of-the-road-no-more-standing-safely-to-the/)

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> [Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/standing-in-the-middle-of-the-road-is-very-dangerous-you-get-knocked/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [“He who rides the middle of the road gets hit from both ends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loni-bergqvist/he-who-rides-the-middle-of-the-road-gets-hit-from-both-ends/)

Loni Bergqvist

> ['Urban Renewal' was sweet because I've been - unfairly, I would say - plonked in the middle of the road because of a handful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-collins/urban-renewal-was-sweet-because-i-ve-been-unfairly-i-would-say/)

[Phil Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-collins/)

> [The middle of the road is for yellow lines and dead armadillos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/the-middle-of-the-road-is-for-yellow-lines-and-dead-armadillos/)

[Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/)

> [I never thought I would ever be middle-of-the-road anything, much less a middle-of-the-road Christian, but it actually ended up I'm extremely middle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/i-never-thought-i-would-ever-be-middle-of-the-road-anything-much-less/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [You will soon get run over if you stay in the middle of the road too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/you-will-soon-get-run-over-if-you-stay-in-the-middle-of-the-road-too/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Awkward moment when you're dancing in the middle of the road and you didn't realize there was a car behind you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/awkward-moment-when-you-re-dancing-in-the-middle-of-the-road-and-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The middle of the road is where the white line is - and that's the worst place to drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-middle-of-the-road-is-where-the-white-line-is-and-that-s-the/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [People who stand in the "middle-of-the-road" get run over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/people-who-stand-in-the-middle-of-the-road-get-run-over/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [President Johnson offered the middle of the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wasserman/president-johnson-offered-the-middle-of-the-road/)

[Lew Wasserman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wasserman/)

> [The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-middle-of-the-road-is-all-of-the-usable-surface-the-extremes/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

## More by Eugene McCarthy

> [I'm kind of an accidental instrument, really, through which I hope that the judgment and the will of this nation can be expressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/i-m-kind-of-an-accidental-instrument-really-through-which-i-hope-that/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [Whatever is morally necessary must be made politically possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/whatever-is-morally-necessary-must-be-made-politically-possible/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [Let us pick up again these lost strands and weave them again into the fabric of America, sort out the music from the sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/let-us-pick-up-again-these-lost-strands-and-weave-them-again-into-the/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [Broken things are powerful."Things about to break are stronger still.The last shot from the brittle bow is truest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/broken-things-are-powerful-things-about-to-break-are-stronger-still/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [Have you ever tried to split sawdust?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/have-you-ever-tried-to-split-sawdust/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [In politics one may remain aloof and become irrelevant or get involved and get corrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/in-politics-one-may-remain-aloof-and-become-irrelevant-or-get/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [We do not need presidents who are bigger than the country, but rather ones who speak for it and support it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/we-do-not-need-presidents-who-are-bigger-than-the-country-but-rather/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [The polls show that 10 percent of the public are ready to vote for me even though they don't know I'm running. We hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/the-polls-show-that-10-percent-of-the-public-are-ready-to-vote-for-me/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [We don't declare war any more; we declare national defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/we-don-t-declare-war-any-more-we-declare-national-defense/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [Never say anything in a national campaign that anyone might remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/never-say-anything-in-a-national-campaign-that-anyone-might-remember/)

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> [The function of liberal Republicans is to shoot the wounded after battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/the-function-of-liberal-republicans-is-to-shoot-the-wounded-after/)

[Eugene McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

> [The mortician interviewing the corpses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mccarthy/the-mortician-interviewing-the-corpses/)

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[Explore all 38 Eugene McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mccarthy/)

## More Accidents quotes

> [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/)

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[Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/)

> [No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/no-i-think-most-astronauts-recognize-that-the-space-shuttle-program/)

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> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

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> [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/)

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[Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/)

> [Naturally I feel no shame in writing these things because of the time which separates the moment when they are written--when only I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ernaux/naturally-i-feel-no-shame-in-writing-these-things-because-of-the-time/)

[Annie Ernaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ernaux/)

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> [I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-don-t-think-it-s-by-accident-that-i-was-first-attracted-to/)

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> [Dont stand outside in a lightning shower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padraig/dont-stand-outside-in-a-lightning-shower/)

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[Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/)

> [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/)

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