“We start therefore with a strong presumption that the Second Amendment right is
exercised individually and belongs to all Americans.”
— Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the Supreme Court in 554 U. S. ____ (2008)
More chlorine for the gene pool please
Published Wed, Feb 28 2007 1:28 PM
Technorati Tags: Transportation, Annoyances
It should be obvious to the most casual of observers that certain activities are inherently dangerous. Driving at high rates of speed without regard for your surroundings is one of them. When I say "high rates of speed", I'm not talking about racing. We all know that racing is dangerous.
I'm actually talking about speeds that most of us are used to. Ordinary freeway speeds are actually quite fast in comparison to what our bodies and reflexes are designed to handle. For that matter, so are the typical speeds of urban arterial roads.
A person's body has a lot of momentum when it's moving at 60mph, or even at a more "sedate" speed of 35mph. A sudden stop at those speeds can have catastrophic consequences. When a body moving at 35mph strikes an immovable object (say a wall) at 35mph, part of the body immediately stops moving, and even rebounds in the other direction. Other parts continue their forward motion until they impact against the parts of the body rebounding from the collision.
Lots of ugly things happen to soft tissues encountering hard tissues in those circumstances. Hard tissues like bone are likely to suffer sudden structural failure when they impact other rigid objects with greater structural integrity at speed. In short, when you hit something hard while you're moving fast, things break and you can be seriously injured or even die.
The problem with all of this is that we're used to traveling at these speeds. We're so used to it that we don't think about what happens when a collision happens, mainly because collisions are relatively rare compared to the amount of time we spend hurtling along our roads and freeways.
Cars are designed to be very safe these days. Our steering systems are designed to naturally fall into alignment for straight travel with minimal effort. We have anti-lock brakes and traction control to make it harder to lose control of the vehicle when we react to conditions. We have air bags in front of us and to the side of us to cushion our tissues from impacts. We have safety belts to keep us from being thrown about as the vehicle loses momentum faster than we do during a collision. Even the structural frame of our cars is designed to protect us when things go wrong, crumpling expensively in just about every place except where we are.
So we get complacent about the dangers. We're so used to things going smoothly that we don't really consider that things can go wrong in seconds.
The Associated Press has chosen to remind us of this. From the Los Angeles Times:
YUBA CITY, CALIF. — A man who authorities say appeared to be driving while using his laptop computer died Monday when his car crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a Hummer.
...
The couple in the Hummer escaped the 8:30 a.m. collision with bumps and bruises, Pettigrew said.
The crash, near the intersection of California highways 99 and 113 about 30 miles north of the capital, totaled both vehicles. It closed a section of Highway 99 south of Yuba City for about two hours.
Natural selection strikes again.
The stupidity of some very smart people never ceases to amaze me. Most of us have probably taken or even made a call on our cell phones while driving. Eating and drinking on the road are commonplace. So is arguing with the kids, listening to loud music, and driving aggressively because we're in a hurry. Most of these activities seem fairly benign, but they're just the tip of the inattentiveness iceberg.
I've observed people reading newspapers while driving. I've seen people driving with large maps unfolded, blocking nearly the entire windscreen of their cars as they hurtle down the freeway. I've seen people reading books propped open on their steering wheels while they drive ten or fifteen miles an hour under the speed limit, in the left lane.
I've watched people with portable DVD players watch movies while driving. Last year, I read about a couple of people that were arrested for watching pornography while driving (strangely enough, the articles were complaining more of the pornography being visible from other vehicles).
Recently I've heard about initiatives to make "texting and driving" illegal. Apparently some people send text messages over their cell phones while they're driving.
I recently bought a copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2007 with a GPS receiver for my laptop computer. I bought it for long trips in unfamiliar areas. On starting up the software with the GPS receiver operating a warning screen pops up. This popup warns you that operating a laptop computer while driving is a dangerous thing. At first I thought "what a stupid warning message, everybody knows that".
Now I'm not so sure.
Once upon a time I rejoiced in the advance of technology. It makes our lives easier. It enables us to do so many things we couldn't do before. It's meant to enhance our lives.
Too bad it doesn't enhance our brains.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Allie Is Wired, third world county, Big Dog's Weblog, basil's blog, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Stuck On Stupid, The Bullwinkle Blog, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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Wednesday Hero - Sgt. Maj. Brent Jurgersen
Published Wed, Feb 28 2007 12:13 AM
This Weeks Soldier Was Requested By Echo9er
Sgt. Maj. Brent "The Rock" Jurgersen Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division
Active Duty
Not even two near-death encounters deterred Sgt. Maj. Brent Jurgerson's passion and eagerness to serve his country and lead his troops back home.
Jurgersen celebrated his second "alive day" anniversary January 26, 2007. It was a day of mixed emotions for him because on that same day two years ago he was given a second chance to live. It was a day that changed his life forever. While on patrol in Ad Dyuliah, Iraq, two rocket-propelled grenades struck his Humvee. The explosion killed his gunner and left Jurgersen fighting for his life, flat-lining twice on the operating table in Balad.
Afterwards, during a promotion ceremony in August of 2006, Jurgersen was selected for a command sergeant major appointment. Becoming the first full limb amputee student to attend the academy.
You can read the rest of Sgt. Maj. Jurgersen's story here.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.
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Final February 2007 Open Trackbacks
Published Wed, Feb 28 2007 12:04 AM
Technorati Tags: Open Trackbacks
This is your open trackbacks post for Wednesday, February 28, 2007. No more this month. Sorry!
If you have something interesting you'd like to share, feel free to link it here and leave a trackback.
Just remember the trackback policy.
For the best exposure, go to the blogger's oasis and use the linkfest chooser to choose the posts you'd like to hook up with.
Comments (0) | Trackbacks (16)
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