Driving up from Lansing recently, I was heading north through Oscoda when I felt something odd. It took me a quick moment to realize someone had hit the back driver’s side of my vehicle. I pulled into the next parking lot and got out to look.

Thankfully there was really nothing more than a hardly noticeable scuff on my bumper. I briefly considered jumping back in my vehicle and continuing north but decided I had to go back to where the accident happened to make sure the other person was ok and to ensure that driver didn’t think it was somehow my fault. I also wasn’t sure if driving away was legal.

I saw a vehicle pulled into a gas station with the driver standing outside her vehicle talking on her phone. Her vehicle had a cracked front right bumper.

As I was pulling up, I rolled my window down and heard her say to someone on the phone that the other driver wasn’t there. I told her I was the other driver, and I went ahead and parked.

As soon as I got out of my vehicle, she very quickly apologized and said it was all her fault. She was a younger individual and was heading home from work. She called her boss, and her boss instructed her to contact the police.

While we waited for the police, we chatted about work, what we like to do for fun, about the minor accident, about family and the weather. It had started out comfortable without jackets, but we were both starting to get chilly while waiting.

We had a pleasant conversation.

When the police officer arrived, she immediately blurted out that it was all her fault. The officer took our information, did whatever things he had to do, gave us our paperwork, and sent us on our way.

She did not receive a ticket, and when the officer told her that he wasn’t issuing a ticket, I was happy to hear that. I even told him that I was so impressed by the way she handled the situation that I was glad he didn’t give her a ticket. He replied that it sure is nice when incidents he is involved in go smoothly and people are honest from the start.

Why did the responsible way she handled the situation impress me so much? Because of the number of times I have experienced adults, much older than her, try to weasel their way out of taking responsibility because I know how tempting it can be sometimes to tell a different story than the truth.

When I first turned around to go back to the site of the accident, I felt a little uneasy because I was almost certain the driver was going to tell me that somehow it had been my fault. I didn’t want to argue, I didn’t want to face someone who was lying, and I didn’t want the driver to tell others that something was my fault when it really wasn’t.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the young woman. And proud. It seems that claiming responsibility for something negative has become increasingly rare and that the more common action is to try to place blame on others, even when it’s a lie.

That young lady challenged my perspective. I was starting to believe that most people try to get away with a lie so they don’t get in trouble or so they look better. It was nice to see someone who proved me wrong and gave me some hope that there are many more people like her than I realized.

Kudos to her and to the police officer for making what could have been a frustrating experience more enjoyable.

Jackie Krawczak is president of Jackie Krawczak LLC. Her column runs every three weeks on Thursdays. Follow Jackie on X @jkrawczak.