Speed + Cars

Something that really makes me cross.......

Each day when I am driving I see reckless drivers, speeding to get to work early or in a hurry to get home.  They risk themselves and others as they weave in and out of traffic.   I sometimes wonder how much quicker they get home compared to me, is it just a few minutes whilst endangering others?  These drivers range in age from young males and females (who can be quite aggressive drivers) to the older driver who ought to know better.  What I don’t understand is why they break the speed limit when each week we see splashed across the newspaper another story of a car crash with a family destroyed with loved ones dead.  Only last week a 19 year old died after hitting a truck on his way home and a woman died in Sydney whilst overtaking a truck. 

This morning on the way to work we had a car weave in and out of traffic cutting other cars off in an attempt to race a head.  Nothing can be that urgent.  They don't seem to care about others and are completely selfish.  But would happen if their love one was hit by a speeding car?  Would they change their driving habits?  I wonder?

There is one road that I drive on occasionally that I am overtaken by almost every car – I sit at the speed limit (90km) and all these other cars just race pass and zoom off, they must be doing well over 100km’s.  Sometimes it feels like I am being bullied by the other drivers as I am not speeding and they can't get past me due to on coming traffic.  We do have police speed cameras but that doesn’t appear to make any difference to this group. In makes me so cross that people deliberately break the law and endanger so many other people.   

Statistically,  1 464 people were killed in 2008, this is a decline in numbers — between 2003-2008 road deaths decreased by an average of 1.4% per year, nevertheless each death affects so many people, including those who are injured.  In fact in 2005/06,  31 204 people were hospitalised due to road accidents - just image what the cost is to the community.  And to make matters worse - sadly - 60 children each year (1 per week) are hit and injured whilst crossing a “school zebra-crossing” on their way to school due to cars speeding through school zones and these figures are only for the state of New South Wales.  Image the national figure.

My eldest son drives but my youngest has chosen not to get his driving license just yet and I am very pleased about that.