“What could possibly go wrong?” has to rate high in the hierarchy of Famous Last Words. The phrase makes for great YouTube videos and helps explain why women live longer than men. They seem to be born with a gene that confers resistance to certain forms of “dumb”. On the other hand, a case can be made that, properly used, those four words could be a force for good.

In 1980, a coach was crossing the Sunshine Skyway span over the mouth of Tampa Bay in Florida. It was foggy, but heck, this was an interstate, and the driver could sorta see the taillights of a car in front. He pressed on. “What could possibly go wrong?”

In this case, those tail lights disappeared, as did the roadway, which, like the car ahead, had dropped into the sea. A ship had struck the bridge; the center span collapsed, and the bus fell 150 feet into the water.

It’s human nature to take things for granted. Gee, that road was there yesterday, so it’s likely still okay. It's like saying, every time, so far, when I’ve stepped on the brakes, the bus responded appropriately, and when cars approach a red light, they usually stop. You get it. Our lives are based on the idea that things work as designed, and they usually do.

As an aside, I’m a guy who hates excessive regulations, but a certain measure of regulation is necessary. When you’re traveling, you trust regulation to ensure that that nifty diner you just rolled up to have lunch at won’t poison you. Thoughtful rules help make sure that things do (almost) always work as expected.

That said, airplane pilots are trained to know the location of their nearest airport, just in case something goes awry. A good idea. Pilots have another advantage, consider that they aren’t surrounded by kamikaze car drivers the way we are.

Bob, the Methodist Minister who taught me to drive a bus, made things very simple (which was necessary in my case). It seems likely that he felt more confident in prayer than in my abilities. “Stay on the road” and “Assume the other guy will do the wrong thing, and he will rarely disappoint you”.

Staying on the road seemed obvious until he explained that leaving the highway to avoid an accident often could do more damage than plowing through a few cars. The big thing, though, was to expect the other guy to do the wrong thing. In real life, defensive driving is a mix of anticipating issues with equipment, infrastructure, and other drivers. In other words, “What could possibly go wrong?”