180 degrees spin

About unexpected events that can change your life...

I always believed that you are your own guardian and you drive your own life as you find suited. I did not (actually I am not sure that I currently do) embrace the idea that we are all born with a predefined path that you cannot change. I like to believe that I can change my own life and destiny whenever I want to. But is this true? Can we drive our own lives as we want or is there something more to this? I agree, there is a certain random factor in our lives. And by this I mean a sum of events that affect our lives but over which we do not have any power whatsoever. But would this be just a random factor that affects us temporary or is this a real predefined destiny?

Sunday afternoon I was driving back home after visiting my old grandma. I had some plans to clean the car and to spend some quality time with my beloved wife on what I predicted to be a nice looking Sunday evening. However, something that I could not think of happened and ruined everything. I was approaching a regular junction on a 2-lane per way street (I was driving on the first lane). I remember the SUV from the second lane slowing down probably to turn left. I remember the green light. Then I remember the impact... the acute and obsessive sound of my tires blocked on the ground... the 180 degrees spin the car performed after the impact... that helpless feeling that you cannot stop the car sooner... watching the spare tire passing next to my window and then stopping somewhere on the street... and, finally, the obsessive question: was it red???
And irresponsible ambulance driver thought it would be fun to cross the junction on the red light with the sirens off; an ambulance that I did not see because of the SUV; an ambulance that was not even during a mission...
The funny part is that an ambulance run into my car - an ambulance... The only possible thing for which I stop, for which I yield... An ambulance...

A series of unfortunate events made this happen: the irresponsible driver, the SUV, the sirens off. A series of fortunate events left me live and kicking: the strong car that I have, my reflex to try to slightly turn right when feeling the ambulance approaching, the fact that I did not have time to slow down, using the safety belt. Put together, it was an event that couldn't have been predicted and could have changed my life for good - period. One note: yes, the event could have been prevented by me, by stopping the car before the junction, on my green light. However, I refuse to be afraid that at each junction that I meet I need to stop the car because a possible lunatic can appear. I refuse to live in fear that each driver could pass on red. I refuse to be afraid that someone else could change my life.
Or am I wrong?