Driving part 2

Okay, I am guessing by the lack of comments on my last post that either a) No one read it, or b) I touched a few nerves. Either way is okay, since this is really just an outlet for me to vent. And even then, there are some subjects I feel I can not write about, because I know there are people who may read my blog that will get upset.

Anyway, I do have some things to add on the driving subject. The day after I wrote that blog, Chet was driving me home from the doctor and we drove passed the high school where the boys that died last week were set to graduate from. There is a large memorial set up that you can see from the street. Many times over the years I have tried to get through to Chet about how important it is to drive carefully. Just a few minutes before this we were leaving the parking lot of the drugstore, and as Chet went to turn left to get to the driveway, a car was coming very fast towards us. Chet honked and slammed on his breaks. The guy had his hands in the air, like what was Chet's problem. Technically, the guy had the right away. But if he wasn't speeding through the parking lot, Chet would have had plenty of time to turn. But the guy stepped on the gas, and if Chet had continued to turn, he would have run right into us, right where I was sitting. So Chet was all mad, and said since the guy was speeding, he would have been in the wrong. And I told him, if we were both dead, what would it matter who was in the wrong?! Besides, the guy had the right away, whether he was speeding or not.

In the accident that killed the two young men last week, it happened to be a guy that was drinking that ran into them. But the fact is, they were stalled in the middle of a busy interstate. Anyone that was impaired in any way, be it by speeding, or just turning to talk to someone next to them, could have ran into them. Someone that was going 80 miles an hour at 10:30 at night, up a hill, would not have had time to stop suddenly. Maybe they could have swerved, if there was no one on either side of them. There have been many accidents where drivers have swerved and hit a car stalled on the shoulder.

All of us who drive need to be so cautious at all times. I am far from perfect. Yes, I talk on my phone. I know I can do it and still pay attention to the road, and I always leave lots of room in front of me. I have been trying not use my phone in the car for months, but sometimes I have to. I do have a blue tooth headphone that I have had for years. But I still have to dial from my phone. The thing is, if I have an emergency, I will make a call. If I get pulled over, I get pulled over. Talking on your phone, unless it's hands free, has been illegal here for two and a half years. However, it was not a primary offense, meaning that you couldn't get pulled over for it, but could get a ticket if you were pulled over for another reason, and were also caught talking on the phone. Now it is a primary offense, so you can get pulled over if an officer see's you talking on your phone and driving. The first day this went into effect, the local news had a lawyer on saying that anyone that get's a ticket can challenge it. And, they showed cops out patrolling for drivers on their cell phones. I have even called people who say they are driving, so they have to be careful to not get caught. So essentially for this law, or any driving law to really work and have a large impact, there needs to be cops or highway patrol officers lined up along every stretch of highway, because some drivers, unless they think there is one around, aren't going to follow the laws. The thought of hurting or maiming themselves or others is not enough. Or maybe they just haven't been personally affected by an accident, or think that bad things can't happen to them.

To me it is like the whole abortion argument. If someone is morally willing to kill an unborn child, they will do it whether it is legal or not. And while I do not agree with abortion in the least, making it illegal will not stop it. If we could just cut down on all the violence, and educate people on the value of life, and that when it is over, it is over, maybe the next generations can make better decisions. Like driving carefully, preventing unwanted pregnancy, and generally treating themselves and others with respect. We don't need more laws and more rules. We need people to care enough about themselves and others to treat all life with respect.