“Did a big dog bite it?” the car body expert asked as he examined my car. Unfortunately, the actual reason my car now lacks a fistful of plastic on the bumper was a lot less exciting and very degrading.

Currently, my rear car bumper sports a hole around the size of a dinner plate. I managed to back into a pole sticking out of the asphalt when I attempted to pull out of the alley behind several shops in the square.

I’ve always prided myself in driving safely and scoffed at the notion that “girls can’t drive.” After several close calls in the high school parking lot, I’d concluded that teenage boys are the drivers we need to worry about when handed control of the wheel. But Saturday gave me a reality check: I am not a “perfect” driver and probably not as safe as I think I am. After all, I managed to back into a pole, going pretty fast considering the damage my bumper suffered.  A pole. Sticking out of the ground. I mean, yes, it might have been in my blind spot, even when I turned to look. But really, how thick must my self-confidence be that I would speedily back out, straight into a pole?

Lesson learned: pay attention to your surroundings when backing out. A sickening crack could result from carelessness. I’m just lucky it was a pole and not a person.