My dads a paramedic and went to this accident the other night. They had been racing, chased by police, got away, raced again and then crashed.
My mum said 'If they were being that stupid they deserve what happens'.
Anyone agree/disagree?
Part of me agrees and disagrees. On one hand i know i speed sometimes, however i wouldn't race or do more than 5-10 about the speed limit (yes still speeding though, i know). On the other, they were young and just out for a laugh (although possibly drinking).
To help stop things like this; Should driving tests be made stricter? Should the driving test aged be raised?
Discuss.
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
That's such an awful accident. Gosh, the poor families.
It does make me mad when you get boy racers like that, who drive around like nobodies business. I dropped a friend off at her house last Friday night at around 1am, and on my way back, a car coming the other way came at around 40mph in a 30mph zone, with parked cars either side. I had to slam on my brakes (emergency stop ftw!) to stop from crashing. It really makes me mad; just because you don't think that any cars will be around, it doesn't excuse you for driving like a lunatic, especially in an obviously pedestrianised, narrow street. Idiot.
It's like when people don't agree with the speed limit, so go faster anyway. The speed limit is there for a reason. I'm a perfectly reasonable driver, but on some roads I'd much prefer going 20 to 30, especially with children running around and lots of parked cars - and yet some **** always drives down that road at 35/40mph. It's just like, no, you're an idiot. Argh! I'm not saying always stick exactly to the speed limit, but just know where you are, observe the people around you - and even if you trust yourself as a driver, remember that children do run across the road, people don't look, cars can make mistakes.
As for whether they deserve what happened to them: They were being idiotic. There's no question about that. But to end up dead/in a critical condition is... Well, horrific. And actually, penalising the family for the child's ****-up, anyway. It's just so sad, especially considering how young they are.
I think that there needs to be more education regarding just how dangerous cars can be, an awful lot more. People piss about on the roads, thinking that they're in control, and it's not cool.
But, as a taxi driver once said to me - there are something like 20 million motorists on the roads. If you get a group that size, of anything, there are going to be more than a few idiots in that group.
Hope your dad is ok, Ali. Even as a trained and experienced paramedic, seeing something like that must be a little difficult.
Thanks his alright but well his only just over a year into his training and this is his first rtc hence why his actually talked about it a couple of times to me (which is when i know somethings actually got to him a little). He actually told me for the first time to drive safe when i left yesterday.
But yes, there are so many drivers i see that are idiots, no indication, speeding when children around/busy etc... i wonder how some even passed their test. (And i know i said i've speeded sometimes, most people have, but never when its busy etc...) [edit] However there is no justification for speeding.
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
What pisses me off the most about stuff like this is that the driver (who was the one responsible for the dangerous driving in the first place - no matter how much his mates were egging him on or whatever, he was the one in control of the vehicle) has got off a lot more lightly than two of his passengers (two killed outright). True, you don't know if they were egging him on, but alternatively they could've been shouting at him to slow down.
So yes, I can see what your mum meant. Most of the crashes caused by people driving dangerously/under the influence/whatever end up seriously hurting/killing somebody else, whilst the reckless driver gets off a lot more lightly (and the police sentences that they give to dangerous drivers aren't long enough, in my opinion).
Using a personal example, I was involved in a car crash about 2 1/2 years ago. The person that crashed into me and wrote off my car was 3 1/2 times over the limit, wasn't insured (but luckily for me, the van was insured). If my parent's hadn't been able to buy me such a good car for my first car, and I was driving around in a little old banger, I would've at least broken both my legs (& therefore been in a wheelchair for a substantial amount of time). He didn't get any form of punishment from the police, and although I got compensation, it took 18 months for me to get the money and in no way shape or form made up for having to go through the trauma of that crash.
Anyway, yes, that's my 2p. Driving issues in general piss me off so much I had to log in & post!
Yes i agree he hasn't died so got off lighter, however he had a metal rod go through both of his legs and if he lives has to go through life knowing he killed those people... But i definitely get what you mean about the driver could have stopped/slowed down etc..
Its also really terrible that he didn't receive any punishment! Do you know why?
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
I wouldn't say they "deserve" accidents as to me no one deserves to get killed/seriously injured. However if people take risks they should be aware of the consequences. Much like if someone has a lot to drink they should be aware that they're most likely going to have a hangover, if you get involved in gang culture you may end up being shot etc. etc.
Not that I agree with speeding/drunk driving, not at all. I think it's disgusting that people can put other's lives in danger, I've no problem with people putting themselves in suicidally dangerous situations, but when your actions put other's in that situation then that's wrong.
I've been in a car with a boy racer before shouting at him to slow down, he eventually listened but it was scary. Though I agree they were idiots to be going over the speed limit I don't think anyone deserves such a severe penalty as death, or other injuries which would leave them suffering the rest of their lives. Though I do think they should be punished in some form, either sentences or, I know people think community sentence is too light, but if it was to a capacity where the work they were doing was with victims/families of victims to road accidents, I would hope they would learn something.
I dropped a friend off at her house last Friday night at around 1am, and on my way back, a car coming the other way came at around 40mph in a 30mph zone, with parked cars either side.
I didn't think people in UK used "mph". I would have guessed it would be kph. Over here cars have kph scale on speedometers but nobody uses kph.
Jack, yea we use mph! And i get what you mean about people thinking they are in control when they arn't, i remember my car almost skidding off the road when my tyre caught a bump. I wasn't going fast either.
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
If you play with fire you'll get burnt.
I have no sympathy for boy racers.
I used to live on a farm and there was a main road out the front of the house with a large roundabout. You'd get boy racers there everynight skidding around at 80/90mph in the rain. I went out one night and flipped out at them as they were blocking the entrance to my house. Told them to get a f*cking life.
We were all waiting (parents & I) for a serious accident to happen.
Police never came despite numerous calls.
People like that should have there licence taken off them until they're mature enough to drive sensibly.
Personally I think speeding an driving recklessly aren't the same thing. Driving at 70 on the motorway, nose to tail with the car in front is stupid and to me more dangerous than driving at 90 on a clear motorway when it's 3am and you have the road to yourself. Likewise there are several roads round by me that are 30 because a couple of residential roads back onto them but if you look at the road itself, there is no reason at all it shouldn't be at least a 40. On the other hand, driving at 30 down a residential road with cars parked on either side and blind bends is dangerous.
There should be some common sense involved which is sadly lacking. Instead of putting an arbitrary maximum legal speed, there should just be one rule that covers driving without due care and responsibility.
Back on topic, the driver was utterly irresponsible - not because he was speeding but simply because he was driving unsafely. He knew the risks and I don't think anyone "deserves" that to happen but he can certainly have no complaints as it was his actions that led to the crash. His friends on the other hand...
often it isn't the driver that gets killed, it's the innocent passer-by/other car that ends up with fatalities, grieving families etc.
no, i don't think people who speed deserve accidents. i think they need tough prison sentences, but then, i think the UK judicial system is far, far too lenient on a lot of criminals. i also think they will pay for their bad choice for the rest of their life as they live with the tragedy they caused to other families as their child/partner/grandparent etc. died.
I don't believe that they deserve to be hurt or killed, but they're big boys and girls and they're well aware of the dangers of speeding, so I believe that if they do get into an accident because of speeding or reckless driving, it's their fault and nobody else's.
Similarly, if someone is speeding or driving recklessly and they kill someone else, if it were up to me I'd have them done for murder, or manslaughter at the very LEAST, because as I said, they were aware of the consequences and it's their fault.
A car isn't an awesome toy. In the wrong hands it can be a lethal weapon, and I think people (young people especially) need to be made more aware of that.
I believe that boy racers ARE idiots, because most of the time, the reason they are driving so fast is to impress their friends, and real friends wouldn't need impressing like that.
Anyway, there was a group of boys at my friends college who were in a car that was going way over the speed limit. They crashed and the 3 passengers died, the driver survived but is paralysed.
Even being idiotic doesn't deserve the punishment of loss of lives.
He has to live with the fact that he's killed 3 of his BEST friends, and i believe that is harsher than any punishment he could have been given.
There is no excuse for speeding just for fun, but i don't think it means they deserve what they get.
People only seem to think about the consequences when they happen.
"I'll lean on you and you lean on me and we'll be okay"
I'd agree that no-one deserves an accident, no matter what they've done. It's just too horrible to wish on someone.
We've all been guilty of driving badly every now and again - gone a little too fast, not concentrating when stressed, even having an argument or conversation with a passenger. But it never fails to surprise me the risks that people will take in their cars.
It's not just young people either - old people and the middle-aged (who can be very arrogant in their big flash cars, like they're invincible and more important than other road users) can be equally foolish.
My stepbrother (a boy racer since he was 17) wrapped his car around a lamppost with my niece, his TWO-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, in the backseat. He was doing over 70 mph. Luckily they were both fine, but I'm disgusted that not only can people take such risks when they're on their own, but also when they're with their kids.
My dads a paramedic and went to this accident the other night. They had been racing, chased by police, got away, raced again and then crashed.
It seems harsh, but honestly, WTF else did they expect was going to happen? They didn't just make one bad decision, they made multiple stupid choices to get that far.
Speeding is one bad decision.
Drinking and doing drugs then driving, and not only driving but speeding while racing on a public road, and then running from the police twice is the accumulation of several moronic moves.
And honestly, if they are going to make that many bad decisions, what else do they expect to happen? I'm not going to say they deserve it, but it is the natural progression of events when that many bad decisions are made.
And before people start going off any more about "boy racers" the last car accident I had that involved people running from the police the people were 19 and 20 year old women.
Well it breaks my heart to see you this way,
The beauty in life, where's it gone?
And somebody told me you were doing okay,
Somehow I guess they were wrong.
