Suicide on the Roads

Suicide on the Roads, or Death by Stupidity

What on God’s Green Earth makes so many people act with such stupidity while on the road, is quite beyond me to comprehend. Take away the element of death by stupid cause, and what would we be left with? Very few deaths on the road, that’s what.

We all see it every day. Daring, kamikaze, insane and impatient acts that are simply fatal crashes on their way to happen somewhere. Young men on high powered motorcycles get the lion’s share of attention, as they go hell bent for leather on their racing bikes. It seems to be some kind of rite of passage that as a young man you have to have a motorbike that has a big engine sound, and even when travelling a short distance, you want to be noticed.

I was in the vicinity only recently of one incident when a young man left a junction and went screaming towards the next when a car pulled out into his path. The resulting crash, which I did not see, but sounded absolutely horrific, certainly got everybody’s attention. I don’t think that was exactly what the young lad had in mind.

Another situation, another young man with somebody’s daughter sat as pillion passenger, holding on for dear life. This silly boy decided that he would pass me along the right side by squeezing between my car and the hedge and the drainage ditch. At the end of the hedge was the principal entrance and exit of a popular supermarket. Perhaps he was trying to impress the girl, but it’s only by the sheer Grace of God that the two of them did not lose their lives that day.

If he really wanted to impress his passenger, all he needed do was get her home safely without injuries.

I was once young and stupid myself, so I had better admit that to the world, and be done with it. I try to draw on my experience from those days, and I ask what was going through my mind at the time. The answer is, of course, absolutely nothing! I didn’t think about the foolish things that I did before I did them, nor afterwards. And if any of the “old guys” cared to comment on my derrings-do, that was just fine. I had made an impression. I can only imagine I was spared to be able to caution today’s young people in the hope they will be spared. The real question is, are they listening? Of course not!

Getting through that period of one’s life is a challenge to avoid the cull of young people who don’t live to reach their majority. Some people never grow up into responsible adults. Being stupid and middle age is a real indictment. There is no excuse. Like I’m so young I’m expected to be immature, or I’m getting old now and my reflexes aren’t what they used to be. Yet, a significant number of deaths are caused by middle-aged drivers, and far too many of those deaths are self-inflicted. This is a very sad fact because this group are in their prime as family wage earners and carers. A country depends on this group to be homebuyers and consumers, and to have families. All the things that drive an economy forward, so when we lose a young husband or wife the blow to all concerned is very intensely felt.

The saddest thing of all is that death by stupidity is so avoidable. When we know we have to drive, leave the alcohol or drugs out of the consideration. Pay attention to the road when in charge of the vehicle. We are not in our living rooms, we are driving in traffic and we have to stay vigilant and follow the rules of the road.

And finally, before setting out let us as drivers make a promise to those who love us: “I’ll be back!”


Copyright (c) 2008 Eugene Carmichael