Of course hoon drivers are everywhere, every minute of every day, but what brought this blog on was a couple days ago. Thursday afternoon I was driving back home, and in a 60km/hr zone I'm happily plotting along at said speed. I notice in my rear-view a car approaching quite quickly, I ignored my mirror, focused on the road ahead, looked up again and the car was not in the mirror. Half a second later the car flies by the side of me, doing at least 90km/hr, and speeding off into the distance until he was out of sight. It got me thinking, I was I was an undercover cop so I could slap on my siren on the top of my car, pull him over and take his license away.
Why did he have to be speeding in a 60km/hr zone? What was so important that he could risk people's lives? This doesn't go out to just him, this goes out to all the hoon drivers out there.
If you had to travel 40km to your place of work, and you stuck to the speed limit of 100km/hr, it will take you 24mins to get there. However, speed at 130km/hr and it takes you 18mins, only 6minutes quicker. So what's the point, it is only 6minutes? Why risk your life for 6minutes? Here is a tip, wake up 6minutes earlier so you can leave on time to arrive while travelling at the proper speed limit. Either that, or just arrive late, better arriving late than in a body bag.
I got a bit of a eye-opener early last month where me and two of my family members came across a car crash early Sunday morning. What I saw next would certainly stick in my mind, and that was a man, lying motionless on the side of the road, dead. To make matters worse, I knew him and he was a good man, aged 40ish. He was in a head on collision with another car, carrying a mother and her 12 year old daughter, with the mother sustaining pretty severe injuries, the daughter not as bad. Both vehicles would have been only travelling around 60-70km/hr, 80km/hr at most, and there was big devastation.
Imagine now if you were travelling at 130km/hr, and hit a car head-on travelling at 100km/hr, there would be nothing left of both of you.
This doesn't just concern speeding drivers, not wearing a seat-belt (Not exactly a hoon problem) is pretty stupid. A friend of mine always seems to put her seat-belt when on the road travelling, which I find troubling. I always put my seat-belt on as soon as I get in the car, because you could pull out and maybe a car on the other side of the road loses controls and hits you, I don't know but you never know what can happen. All it takes is a split-second for an accident happen, so it is always best to wear a seat-belt.
Doing burn-outs is another thing. Sure, when I first got my license I went out and did a couple "burn-outs" on a dirt road, away from anything and everyone, and then after I did 2 or 3, I was over it. However, when people are doing burn-outs in residential streets, main streets and doing doughnuts where possible, it not only damages the road and leaves unimpressive marks, you risk losing control and doing damage. There has been stories in the newspaper of drivers doing burn-outs, losing control and slamming into people's houses. Imagine, you are watching TV, eating dinner, and suddenly you hear people doing burn-outs, you shake your head, and all of a sudden a car is in your living room....
Drink-driving is another thing I just don't get. Yes, I have driven after consuming a couple drinks, but only 1 or 2, I think 3 was my most, but these were consumed over a 5 hour period with quite some time since consuming my last and driving off. So why do people who are clearly drunk, and know they are drunk, get behind the wheel? A car can weigh over a tonne, and you get behind a lethal weapon while intoxicated, you are asking for trouble.
There has been way too many accidents caused by drink-drivers, many with sad endings. Sometimes the driver survives, but the people in the other car, or passengers, do not. How could you bare to live with that guilt of being responsible for one's death? I know I could not do it.
So why do people drink-and-drive? Because they have no other means of getting home? I think it is safe to assume over 95% of people with a license has a mobile phone, so in that case, ring somebody to come get you! I'm sure they will much rather wake up at 3am, and make sure you get home alive, then to wake up that morning and see an article about a car crash and recognise your car. Don't have a mate because you are a loner? Well, go to a taxi rink, or ring one, and get home that way. Can't afford a taxi? Do a runner at the end, or, walk! Me and a mate walked over 10km one night to get home, it took us a couple hours, and by the end we were just about sober, but we didn't want to pay a taxi, our mates were not in reachable distance, and we actually didn't even have a car to drive home.
I don't understand why people continue to risk their lives in these deadly machines. People must think they are in a car, they are safe. Or they might think 'I'm young, I'll be right, Grandpa is 93 years old, I'm only 18, I got heaps of living to do' thinking they are invincible. Wake up to yourself, you aren't, and keep doing what you are doing and your Grandpa will be attending your funeral, when usually the grandson attends the grandfathers funeral.
So I've ranted, I've questioned and I've told some stories, but haven't given my opinion on how to stop this. The answer is simple, get tougher laws in-place. I don't care if a law comes in where a cop can crush your car right there on the spot, because I know I won't be doing anything to risk that. The people who complain about new laws and complain when they get tickets are the hoons themselves. Get tougher, harsher fines, take licenses away, take cars away, do anything to rid these idiots of their weapon. Advertisements can also help, but make the ads more gruesome! Yes that's right, screw 'protecting the minds' and show what can really happen if you speed, or don't wear a seat-belt, or drink-and-drive, and people might second guess next time.
That is all for now, I'm sure I will be re-visiting this topic in the future, as there is so much to write about, but before I go, I shall leave you with one thing...... It's only 6minutes, it's not worth it, don't be a bloody idiot....
From The One They Call Anthony, This Is The Life & Times
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