Drive carefully!

[Coluber42]

A friend of ours was riding his bike home last night when he was hit by a drunk driver, and is now in the ICU. The crash was witnessed by a couple of kids who were watching because they noticed the truck going by way fast; they also saw the driver get out and look, then get back into the truck and leave the scene. (although he later turned himself in) Our friend is a safe and experienced rider, who was wearing a helmet and who was lit up like a Christmas tree - multiple bright lights, lots and lots of reflective gear, etc.

Obviously this guy was doing many things he shouldn't have - speeding, driving drunk, failure to keep right for oncoming traffic, leaving the scene of the crash, etc. Fortunately the police are taking it very seriously, he has been arrested, and will probably get sued too.

But unfortunately, the things he was doing that caused this crash are sadly common occurrences, and are often not taken seriously unless someone gets hurt. Cars are dangerous machines; they kill as many people as firearms do (and most people killed by cars are IN cars, not on foot or on bicycles). It's a boring topic, but when you think about it, pretty much everyone knows someone who has been in a life-altering car accident. This isn't a bicycle or pedestrian issue - it affects everyone.

So take this as a friendly reminder to drive carefully. Don't drive when you've been drinking or when you've taken medication that could impair your ability to operate machinery (and plan ahead or keep contingency plans in mind in case it comes up). Observe the speed limit. DON'T TOUCH YOUR PHONE. Nope, not even if it's important. If it's that important, find a place to pull over and take care of it.

Also, exercise peer pressure - don't let your friends do that stuff either. If you're on the phone with someone who's driving, tell them you'll call them back when they get where they're going.

We tend to treat car accidents as inevitable random events like lightning strikes or heart attacks, because cars are a part of daily life. But they aren't just "accidents" - the vast majority are caused by human error and are preventable. I'm glad this driver will get what's coming to him, but it's not enough to just go after the guy who was unlucky enough to hurt someone when he was being an idiot - we have a fair amount of data on what behaviors increase the chances of crashes, and we need to take it seriously BEFORE someone gets hurt.

OK, off my soap box now. It's to early to know much about what my friend's long term recovery will look like, but we are all hoping for the best.

Drive carefully out there. Cars are no joke.