Driving is a privilege, not a right.

Last night, two 18 year old young men from the high school near me died in a car accident on the freeway. The car stalled on the interstate, in the mid left lane. The driver put his hazards on, he and his passengers kept their seat belts on, headlights were on, and the driver dialed 911 for help. And then blacked out. A driver, suspected to be drunk and with a drunk driving record, slammed into them. The two men in the back died, one at the scene, one today at the hospital. The driver survived with non life threatening injuries. Two young promising lives, just about to graduate, gone. Over. Done. Another totally senseless fatal accident.

In this new high tech, gimme, gimme world, we have created a society lacking in personal responsibility. While Americans complain about less and less rights, we lose more and more. Why? Because adults have to be TOLD and ENFORCED not to drink and drive. Don't get in the car and not put on your seat belt, don't get in your car and text. More and more laws. Because our society is getting dumber and dumber. So teaching people how to drive, making them take a test, and buy insurance is not enough. We must pass laws, pay law enforcement, and give them incentives to stop drivers that don't wear their seat belt, are texting, making calls, driving drunk, and driving stupid. Because why should people be expected to do these things on their own?

Well, let me tell you, they don't. I would love to say I don't know people who have driven drunk, but I do. I have heard grown adults brag about it. For the longest time I have ignored the ignorant 20 somethings that brag about speeding and multiple driving violations. I dared to call out a grown woman complaining on Facebook about drivers not going 80 in the left lane on this very stretch of freeway. The same one my hubby drives twice a day.

I would also like to say I have never made a mistake driving, but I can't. I do drive defensively at all times. I get honked at, cussed at, and passed all the time. But I don't walk through life with my head in the sand, and I try not to drive that way either.

Really, taxpayers have to pay for law enforcement to sit and watch for drivers not wearing their seat belt. Nevermind that there are stupid, drunk, speeding reckless drivers flying by. They are there to pull over Joe idiot that has chosen not to buckle up. Knowing that if they get hit, they may fly out the window. Don't get me started about child safety. I finally turned my daughter around to forward facing when she was getting leg cramps. I pray every minute of the day that nothing happens to her anyway, so I buckle her up forward facing and pray that some dumb ass that had to drink and drive, or harried mom that thinks it is okay to go 80 miles an hour and text does not cross our paths.

You may think I am just a bitter survivor of a beautiful, full of potential 18 year old sister that died in a totally senseless accident. The thing is, I was being called granny driver long before Cathy died. I always worried when my parents or sisters were very late getting home. Premonition? Maybe. Most people would not play Russian roulette with a rifle, but there are millions of people that do it with a ton of metal. And lots of them brag on Facebook about it. I'm sure some precentage of them drive like a granny too, but just think it is cool to say they drive at break neck speeds. But most really do drive like that. I see it every day. Fucking idiots. I think everyone of them needs to see a computer image of themselves crushed beyond recognition. Because in our self centered world, maybe that will knock some reality into them. Or maybe not.