So it seems like just about everyone driving these days doesn’t actually want to keep their cars where they’re supposed to be.
Just this morning, in two separate incidents, people drove into houses.
Two 15-year-old girls in Sydney stole a 4WD and crashed it into a house. Another woman crashed into her own house, tragically killing her 2-year-old son and injuring her 63-year-old husband.
The explanation that came out of that? “I hit the accelerator instead of the brake.” The very same excuse used by a driver who drove into the front of my car while it was parked outside a local pub earlier this year. I don’t think the following point is rocket science or anything, but correct me if I’m wrong. Cars are designed to do two things – go and stop. If we need to invest in re-educating drivers and re-branding ‘accelerator’ as ‘go’ and ‘brake’ as ‘stop’ to not only save syllables, but lives, then I’m all for it.
When I was 18 (some time ago, in other words), some friends and I were walking back to our friends house from Bundoora Square after having purchased some chocolate to put into molds for a party we had planned. As the four of us were walking past a particular store, a red Commodore pulled into the parking spot right in front of us. It stopped, then the engine revved loudly and the car drove straight up over the curb, smashing into the storefront. The car pinned one of my friends legs against the electric door frame and I ended up on the inside of the front window with shattered glass everywhere and my hands on the hood of the car.
The female driver (Bad driving is not limited to one gender, not by a long shot) said that her car was ‘possessed’. That was enough to get her off a negligent driving claim against her, even though my friend who was pinned against the door frame ended up with irreparable tendon tissue damage in his leg.
Driving along Melbourne’s worst road, Hoddle Street, almost daily for the past four years has taught me one thing – never assume anything on the road. The stunts I’ve seen people pull in finite spaces with big hunks of metal is alarming to say the least.
I’m not a perfect driver, no-one is, but whenever I have passengers in the car I am far more cautious than I am when I drive alone. Why? Because it’s common fucking sense.
As a driver you owe a duty of care to not only those in your vehicle, but those on the road around you at all times.
Shock!
Horror!
Common knee-slapping sense!
And yet, this year, people just seem to keep driving into houses. Here’s what five minutes of Googling yielded.
29th January – Victoria – 15-year-old joyrider smashed into a lounge room in Keilor Park.
2nd February – Queensland -47-year-old male drink driver drove into a house at seven times over the legal limit. Admitted it was a ‘stupid mistake’.
6th February – Western Australia – 18-year-old female drink driver slams into a bedroom in Safety Bay, killing a 68-year-old grandfather of 11.
21st February – Victoria – 30year-0ld female driver loses control of her vehicle, driving into two houses and several vehicles in St Albans.
25th February – Victoria – 61-year-old male drives into a house at Geelong. Suspected that he suffered a heart attack while driving, which caused the accident.
29th May – New South Wales – 27-year-old male drink driver with a suspended licence drives into a house in Paddington, three times over the legal limit.
12th August – Queensland – 28-year-old man drove into a house in Cannon Hill, then drove away from the scene, only to be found later.
20th August – Queensland – 19-year-old unlicensed female drink driver drove into a house in Toowoomba and fleed the scene. Was cited in the Magistrates Court for the following charges – drink-driving, unlicensed driving, driving an unregistered and uninsured car, driving without due care and attention, and leaving the scene of an accident without leaving the driver’s particulars. Thankfully, she pleaded guilty.
21st August – South Australia – Drink driver crashes into house at Old Reynella. Almost five times over the legal limit.
15th September – Western Australia – 42-year-old man crashed into a house at Eaton after losing control of his car.
19th September – Western Australia – 24-year-old male drink driver drove through a house in Perth. Literally drove through the house – front window into a wall, through the kitchen and out the rear sliding doors into the patio area.
24th September – Western Australia – 77-year-old man seriously injured after driving into a house in Carine.
I don’t even know where to start…
Are people misunderstanding their own neurological pathways and enforcing an all-too-literal interpretation of the phrase “drive home”?
Are car manufacturers putting brick magnets in the front of every vehicle that only kick in once they hit a certain speed?
Has there been a rise in people watching ’80s films with extended car chase sequences?
Or is this all just another case of there being too many morons on our roads? I’m going to go with ‘yes’ on this final point.
When I was learning how to drive, I was involved in an accident. The car I was driving wasn’t shifting down a gear, and as a result, I took a corner too fast and hit the side of 4WD that was driving on the same road. Thankfully, everyone was alright. But that small event had such an impact on me that I wasn’t ready to get my licence for another three years.
If I ever have had a drink or two before driving, I am always double-guessing myself and waiting as long as possible before deciding to get behind the wheel or (more often than not) I stop at one drink early in the evening just so I’m never at risk of being a drink driver.
Considering the kind of population growth we’re facing in the next decade, I seriously hope there are some more stringent driving education programs put in place AND harsher penalties for drink drivers.
One thing we can’t eradicate, unfortunately, is stupid.
For tomorrow’s rant… Well, I don’t even know. Today’s rant was suggested to me by Sir R! Thanks!