Hey Freak!

A lot of people take driving around for granted. Hell, I'll bet that almost everyone does. We eat in our cars, we talk on the phone, we reach for things, change the radio station, etc. Or, if we've got passengers, sometimes, the conversation at hand garners more attention than driving. And most of the time, we get away with it.

But every once in a while, we get reminded that, even though driving is something we do every day, and we think we can pretty much do it with our eyes closed, driving can be very dangerous if you're not paying attention.

Case in point: a stalled semi on the freeway should be easy to spot, right? Judging by the looks of this crash (and what's left of the vehicle), somebody didn't see it. That person had to be going pretty fast, too... I mean, look how far underneath that thing went. And if you look at the pictures here you can see that there doesn't seem to be any fresh tire (skid) marks, or they're very short if they're there. That's just horrific and sad.

Driving is something we all do, just about every day... and yet, people still die from traffic accidents every day. So make sure that you pay a little more attention, OK?

one of the guys was late to work because of it. i almost hurled hearing him talk about it. makes me want to cry & puke at the same time. so sad, and so scary. we DO take driving for granted. how many close calls have we all had?

i feel for their families.

good post, Mikey. Too many people aren't careful enough while driving. hell, I should know, I had to take a court-ordered safe driving class b/c of a speeding ticket (lame, but I learned a lot in the class).

always look ahead when you're driving, and never drive faster than you can stop . . . I don't remember the exact numbers, but at each speed, there's a stopping distance for your car (based on weight, brake sensitivity, etc). If you overdrive this, it's much easier to get in an accident.

ergo, don't speed and don't tailgate. and, for chrissake, don't be like the guy who almost got me in an accident this weekend. he was passing me on the left (two lanes on our side of the highway), and someone came up behind him really fast who wanted to pass too. He cut over less than 1/2 a car length in front of me! I had to slam on my brakes, and I'm just glad there was no one behind me. sooo unsafe.

woah, sorry for the novel

Posted by Leah on 02/15 at 10:32 AM

how truly awful.

Jesus, that is just sickening to look at. Can you even imagine what that must have been like? That truly has to be an example of when they say people die 'instantly'.

How terrible.

This has really affected me. I can't stop thinking about it and looking at the picture of the van. I don't mean to make light of this tragic event, but I wonder what went through their minds right before the impact. Did they feel it? Was it over quick? I hope to god that they did not suffer. It said they were on their way to the airport for a vacation. How incredibly sad :/ I feel so badly for their families.

I've noticed over the last couple of years that people have gotten more impatient as drivers. It's like they think the 2 tons of steel will keep them safe as they weave among cars, tailgate, blow through "just turned" red lights, etc.

I say if you're in that much of a hurry that you need to jeopardize the safety of everyone on the highway, leave earlier or stop micromanaging your life so you have only seconds to spare.

Yikes. I'm convinced I'm going to die in some horrific accident caused by the asshat-ery of some idiot on the road.

Oh.My.Gawd. There are no other words to express how I feel after seeing those pictures.

Thanks for the reminder to slow the hell down and pay some damn attention to what we're doing!

Those photos are shocking and saddening. Thanks for sharing.

I take driving very seriously.

While I do use a hand to hold a sandwich or a drink, it is only for a bite and my usual driving position is with both hands on the wheel, 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock.

I also drive fast but give driving my full attention. I do not talk on the phone or to passangers if I am driving hard.

As to the skid marks, if the vehicle is at all new, it will have ABS breaks and they do not leave skid marks...the Van could have been under maximum breaking and there would be no skid marks..

Oh... man. -shudder-

Whoa man that could drive me nuts thinking of all the people who just don't fucking care!

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