Sorry to hear about the accident. I hope the whiplash heals up completely.

We're such a car-centric society, things like mechanical breakdowns or accidents can really seriously affect your daily living significantly. Actually, you're quite lucky that you can use public transit or pedal-power to get around. So many communities are so spread out, and so many of our jobs are in far away places, that no car = a very tough existence.

That comment about all your safety gear made me chuckle. It's like the cliche in any number of movies where the hero is required to turn in his weapons before going someplace, and then proceeds to pull a ridiculous number of weapons from various pockets and hiding places on their person and lays them on the table one by one.