An Awful Easter on the Road

Easter on the road is not over yet and already thirty-six people have lost their lives. This is already eleven more than last year. When so many vehicles take to the road all at once conventional wisdom says that I should not be one of them. I should either leave home the day before, or I should wait until late in the day after the crowd has passed. When we do decide on a road trip this has been our strategy and it works just fine. The idea is to not have any absolute deadlines so time is not of the essence.

I just don't understand what happens to people's brains during peak times on the road. So many people just seem to disengage from their brains, or they replace their brains with excrement. There are so many reasons why cars are made to crash. One of the most avoidable reasons is driver fatigue. All it takes is for you to close your eyes once and you will probably never open them again. However, all too many times total and absolute stupidity is the cause.

Last night I was driving along a two lane road approaching the top of a rise when four cars came up from behind me when I was travelling at 80kph, the maximum allowed. As we approached the top of the hill we were required to lower our speed to sixty because over the hill there is a junction from our right. During the day often there are heavy goods vehicles entering the main road, either continuing along the lane we were in, or crossing over to proceed in the opposite direction. These are extra long vehicles that take a count of fifteen to cross one lane.

Those four cars overtook me and another car behind me as we neared the top of that hill, having no idea whether a vehicle was approaching in the opposite direction. Had there been a car in that lane there would have resulted a crash that would have involved at least six, and possibly seven vehicles because of the insanity of those four drivers.

If I could have had my way I would have taken all four of those cars and had them destroyed and the permits taken away from the drivers. I would have also given them each a damn good flogging for trying their best to add to the carnage on the road.

There can be no excuse at all for such terminal nonsense like that!

Copyright (c) 2016
Eugene Carmichael