Please take care
Dario Sanchez just wrote an angry article.
It is angry, and he is right. He is talking about the idiocy of drivers, speed and drink.
Some years ago, I was driving from Belfast to Dublin. It was a lovely day. I had a CD on [quietly] and was enjoying the drive.
It was the day of the Dublin to Belfast Maracycle, so there were dozens, if not hundreds of cyclists heading north. They too were happy, and waving to us as we headed south. I waved back. It was a happy day.
I had to slow down at one stage, because there was a large group of cyclists on the far side of the road. They were a happy bunch. Someone had just told a joke, and they were all laughing.
A car, travelling at very high speed suddenly drove through the group.
There was an explosion of debris. My car was showered with bits of bicycle and other things I won’t mention. There was mayhem. Two cyclists were killed, and several others seriously injured. The road was covered in debris. The car never even slowed down. It just kept going as if nothing had happened.
I got out of my car and wandered around along with a lot of other people. We were silent. We didn’t know what to do or even where we were. We were all in deep shock.
My shock was so deep, I just got back in my car and drove home. Fortunately it rained at Dundalk, and that washed the blood off the car. When I got home, I cried. I kept seeing bodies flying through the air.
I realised only then that I had left the scene of an accident, and that I was a prime witness. I phoned the police in Newry the next day and faxed them a statement. They were very understanding.
The driver of the car was caught. He was drunk. I don’t know what happened to him, and I don’t care. I hope he rots in hell.
The point to the story though is that an accident gives no warning. It can happen at any moment. You may think you are safe, but two seconds later, you can be dead. You may think it will never happen to you, but the odds are higher than you think.
I knew the parents of the girl who was killed in the fog the other week. They thought it was just another Spring day, just like any other day. But in an instant, their lives were forever changed. They will never be quite the same again.
So, for God’s sake take care.
Please.
Excellent article Grandad and very timely with the long weekend coming. No doubt there are people enjoying themselves as I write this who will be unexpectedly in a grave this time next week. It’s sickening.
I’m possibly on the planet for similar duration to yourself and over that time I’ve witnessed nasty accidents – but the one you describe must have been very traumatic for you.
On a light hearted note – but related to our age group – you might have some input for my latest blog!
Like yourself, I have witnessed quite a few and been involved in some. After 36 years driving, it’s inevitable.
The one I wrote about was by far the worst. To see someone killed in front of your eyes is horrific. I was in shock for a long time after. Luckily I had a doctor at the time who was a bit of a therapist. I had nightmares for months after.
It just made me realise that accidents happen completely out of the blue. There is usually no warning whatsoever. And we all feel ‘it will never happen to us’.
Holy shit. That was rough. There are no words I can adequetely use to do justice to that article; all I saw was the aftermath and not the accident itself. It’s unfortunate you had to see someone killed before your eyes.
But it just proves that these bastards never learn, and the Government has merely been abetting them for years. Like in 1979, when they gave out licences to people who couldn’t drive?! Pure insanity. And JoD is right, this is a long weekend, and it is with a weary sigh of inevitability that I know someone will be killed. That requires no foresight.
One just has to bar the thought from one’s head …
Yes. It is sad to think that there is at least one person who today is possibly planning a holiday, or a wedding or something else exciting, with the prospects of a happy future, who will be dead by Monday.
As you say – best not to think about it. Just be careful.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my foresight proved horribly accurate:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0406/rta.html
Grandad your post gives us plenty of food for thought.
Alas, it brought back a nightmare time from the past.
As a friend of mine used to say âNone of us are promised tomorrow, or for that matter the remainder of this day.â?
I hope you didn’t know anyone involved in that incident Grannymar?
See my post copied below. It was last New Years Eve.
http://brian223.wordpress.com/2007/01/29/crash/#comments
Wow! You are one lucky b*st*rd. And your comment – âWhat The Fuck Just Happened?â? was exactly how I felt, because what I was looking at couldn’t possibly be true. But it was.
And between that, and a few other [much lesser] incidents, I am a lot more careful on the roads now.
Grandad,
I have been quite surprised by my long term reaction to that crash. I drive like an old man now and every once and awhile, as I am falling asleep, I see that telephone pole coming at me. I usually bolt awake and try to stop shakeing before going to sleep.
I know it will be a weekend of bad news from the roads. As per my recent post from the “in the car” perspective, granted it was 20 years ago, but the reality is that no ever thinks it will be them. People seem to believe they are immortal until a crash proves them wrong.
Hopefully recent media coverage will mean this weekend maybe slightly better than previous.
All well and good and well said, but there really is no solution to ‘road carnage’ other than banning automobiles altogether. There will always be accidents. Ireland has some of the worst drivers in Europe. Perhaps Sharia law might help. The first ten drivers found at fault for causing an accident who then lose a hand as punishment might encourage the others.
@Brianf – That incident happened 9 years ago. I still get flashbacks when I see groups of cyclists.
@Flirty – I’m fairly sure I heard a report on the radio today saying that there was fog on the N7 and that drivers were speeding with no lights on. This is the same area as the carnage in the fog recently.
People will NEVER learn from the mistakes of others, because they all think it will never happen to them.
@Henry – I agree that we will never be carnage free. But all the time we are allowing people drive without adequate training there is going to be trouble. A high percentage are driving on provisional licences or no licence at all. And those who do pass the test have never been tested on motorways, ice, snow, fog etc etc. People think because they can do a flawless hill start or a three point turn that they are fully qualified drivers. Until we have a decent testing system and proper law enforcement, the carnage will continue.