Jerry Sennett Deputy Chief
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police
"We have rain, for instance...our
accident rates go up. And so
I'm sure some (accidents)
are related to the weather.
Some...people just can't drive."
What a breath of fresh air. We all know it. We all say it. News media in general, however, avoids saying it as if it were the plague. Winter weather arrives, like this morning. News stories abound ad nauseum about how you need to take extra time for your commute, learn to use your car's gearing to slow down instead of slamming on the brakes, don't go out unless you absolutely have to...it.s a subject beaten to death in every storm. Not that it's not good advice, but it is belabored beyond usefulness all too often.
Fact is, there are idiotic drivers out there without a lick of common sense, even in sunny, warm weather. They cause accidents, they cause traffic flow problems, and they make many of us use language inappropriate for even blog usage. And the worst part is, they don't seem to care. Heaven forbid they hit the roads when there is a wintry mix to slicken the thoroughfares.
Just a few days ago in sunny, calm weather, I was behind someone who slowed to 10 mph under the speed limit in a nearby town, and for a goodly distance...though it was one wide lane, they pulled to the center line and hit their brakes...and with no signal, no nothin', they whipped right to pull into a parking space. &*$#-near caused serious wreckage. A 30's something person, too, with no mental excuses I was aware of, driving a nice new-ish tank of an SUV. Just the tip of the proverbial 'stupidity' iceberg, stereotypical as it was.
We've all seen them, daily, and hopefully aren't among the numbers of really bad, careless drivers. The way I look at it, the second you are behind the wheel of a vehicle, driving properly and looking out for others is Rule #1...NOT talking on a cell phone, NOT playing around with your Blackberry, NOT putting on make-up, NOT rifling through papers on the passenger seat, NOT turning around and tending to a child in the back seat while you're moving, NOT speeding in and out of traffic far atop the speed limit. Yet such actions are rampant, and daily cause accidents that shouldn't be happening.
I was watching a local news affiliate last evening when Deputy Chief Jerry Sennett made his quote above...thank goodness for Time-Warner's DVR box, as I could back up the newscast and capture his priceless quote. There are too many drivers who simply can't drive well, even on the fairest of days. May we all have the eyesight of eagles to spot them before they cause our own insurance rates to go up.
And may we all call a spade a spade. Just wait 'til I do a in-depth blog feature about selfish, lazy drivers who illegally park in handicapped spaces or who take up 4 spaces with their nice new car so it won't get scratched. But I digress, as usual...
Oh, and by the way, Saturday's forecast is looking like another golden opportunity for certain driver's to show their total lack of skill...
Happy Friday, y'all!
2 comments:
Ah, calling “bad drivers” what they are ..... LOVE it! That quote is a keeper, Bob! :)
Gosh, wonder if you can save that A/V clip (quote), and play it back on-air whenever necessary?! (Doubtful though, as it's probably copyrighted by the other station – but even so, wouldn’t that be FUN to playback as a “reminder” to all the mind-numbed idiot drivers out there?!)
Or the print version of the quote ..... not that I would do this, because despite being PO’d by such drivers, I don’t even have the “mean-spirit” required to actually DO it, but ..... it’s fun to imagine that after following some such dim-bulb into a parking lot or something, plastering a hardcopy of the officer’s pic and his quote on the windshield of the offending driver’s vehicle ---- kinda like, “Here’s your SIGN ..... !!” :)
Suzy :)
Didn't save the actual sound clip, but the quote is verbatim...and I HAVE been known to leave notes on windshields of offending drivers when I'm ticked off enough to do so. You would like to think that everyone is thoughtful and mindful of others, but that is NOT the case, sadly. So I bark back as I pick and choose my battles...!
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