OG and I were on our homeward commute this evening, a little earlier than usual. We were creeping along in the slow line that is the everyday ramp from West St. onto I-70 EB in downtown Indy. We were almost into the slow lane when I hear what I think is crashing vehicles but traffic is still moving and I can’t find the source. I told OG what I thought I heard and she agreed but didn’t see anything either.
Once I make it into the lane and begin the slow roll up the hill I look in my side-view mirror and discover the cause of the noise. In the WB center lane is a motionless body. A few yards further in the fast lane and median is a car facing the wrong way and the remains of the motorcycle that belonged to the man lying in the roadway. A tractor-trailer was stopped and I could see that driver getting out of the cab.
This is not the first time I’ve seen death but I wondered about the fate of the biker so when I got home I tried to find some news about it. I found nothing more than a mention on the Fox 59 traffic twitter feed: TRAFFIC ALERT: I70 westbound closed at exit 79A downtown due to crash involving motorcycle. So I’m speculating that I saw a fatality because I can’t substantiate it.
And that got me to wondering – just how many traffic fatalities are occurring that we never hear about. The numbers are probably frightening. And of those numbers, how many are due to a “distracted driver”? Contemplating this number makes me angry enough to sit down a write this thread. Again, I am speculating because I don’t (and apparently never will) know the facts of this particular crash, but honestly, how do you crash into the vehicle in front of you in rush hour traffic? Well you stop watching what’s going on in front of you. And what causes you to stop watching what’s going on in front of you? I could say “fill in the blank here” but you probably know where I’m headed with this…
I stopped looking at text messages while driving about two years ago. I did it the same way I stopped smoking, one day I got fed up with what a risk it was to my health that I just quit. Have you noticed the increase these days in vehicles with their grilles knocked out? Have you noticed the increase in fender benders on the highway during rush hour? Have you stopped and contemplated why the big auto manufacturers are pouring research dollars into “collision avoidance” technology? It’s because society can’t unplug long enough to navigate a lethal weapon from point A to point B safely so they don’t involuntarily damage property or takes another person’s life, or their own for that matter. My LEO neighbor says it’s all but impossible to prove. I think it should carry the same punishment as DUI, that sure would cure the masses of the habit. It’s crazy, the same LEO neighbor says 30% of ALL drivers are looking at something other than the road in front of them.
I’m going to speculate again, somewhere a family is mourning the unexpected loss of one of their own. A loss that could have so easily been avoided; a mistake that someone will have to live with. You know this is a problem, I hope that you are not a contributor. Tell you loved ones, tell your friends.
PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN! A reply can wait.
Once I make it into the lane and begin the slow roll up the hill I look in my side-view mirror and discover the cause of the noise. In the WB center lane is a motionless body. A few yards further in the fast lane and median is a car facing the wrong way and the remains of the motorcycle that belonged to the man lying in the roadway. A tractor-trailer was stopped and I could see that driver getting out of the cab.
This is not the first time I’ve seen death but I wondered about the fate of the biker so when I got home I tried to find some news about it. I found nothing more than a mention on the Fox 59 traffic twitter feed: TRAFFIC ALERT: I70 westbound closed at exit 79A downtown due to crash involving motorcycle. So I’m speculating that I saw a fatality because I can’t substantiate it.
And that got me to wondering – just how many traffic fatalities are occurring that we never hear about. The numbers are probably frightening. And of those numbers, how many are due to a “distracted driver”? Contemplating this number makes me angry enough to sit down a write this thread. Again, I am speculating because I don’t (and apparently never will) know the facts of this particular crash, but honestly, how do you crash into the vehicle in front of you in rush hour traffic? Well you stop watching what’s going on in front of you. And what causes you to stop watching what’s going on in front of you? I could say “fill in the blank here” but you probably know where I’m headed with this…
I stopped looking at text messages while driving about two years ago. I did it the same way I stopped smoking, one day I got fed up with what a risk it was to my health that I just quit. Have you noticed the increase these days in vehicles with their grilles knocked out? Have you noticed the increase in fender benders on the highway during rush hour? Have you stopped and contemplated why the big auto manufacturers are pouring research dollars into “collision avoidance” technology? It’s because society can’t unplug long enough to navigate a lethal weapon from point A to point B safely so they don’t involuntarily damage property or takes another person’s life, or their own for that matter. My LEO neighbor says it’s all but impossible to prove. I think it should carry the same punishment as DUI, that sure would cure the masses of the habit. It’s crazy, the same LEO neighbor says 30% of ALL drivers are looking at something other than the road in front of them.
I’m going to speculate again, somewhere a family is mourning the unexpected loss of one of their own. A loss that could have so easily been avoided; a mistake that someone will have to live with. You know this is a problem, I hope that you are not a contributor. Tell you loved ones, tell your friends.
PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN! A reply can wait.
