Yes, it is prudent to do so. With all of the wrecks I have come upon, it definitely leaves a lasting impression in your mind. I came upon a wreck one morning at the break of dawn and watched 3 people die in front of me, I witnessed a young woman take her last breath and as I removed her from the front seat of the full sized cargo van to lay her on the floor to attempt cpr I found her neck was broken, her head was completely twisted. And before I get flamed for moving her I was an EMT, yes I know that one should not be moved in fear of compromising a possible C Spine injury but at that point her life was already compromised from respitory and cardiac arrest.
I asked an old truck driver his opinion of trucking when I was thinking about becoming an over the road tractor trailer driver, his response to me was " you are an accident just waiting to happen". after 7 years of over the road and 3.5 years of local and in the state driving I must say I agree with him. Some of the goofy things people do around 18 wheelers just astounds me. Yes, we have eighteen wheels but we dont have 18 sets of brakes, and the heavier we are the more time it takes to stop. Think about that the next time you pull out in front of a rig because you are in a hurry. I have had to do many panic stops because of this, often toppling the contents of the trailer.
As I get older I started to understand what my parents were talking about when I was young, to slow down. It seems everyone is in a hurry beyond belief anymore. I remember what it was like to be young and in a hurry, but I ask myself now why? there really is no explanation, it is pointless. If we could all realize just how short life really is, maybe we could slow down a bit.