Feb 9, 2011: Road safety illusion

[Sundae]

Gun I completely agree with you. But in some ways that it why speed limits are so important.

My nephew by marriage ran out in front of a car because he saw friends across the street. The family walked together frequently and his Aunt was actually a road safety officer and was with him at the time. The car driver could do nothing - he hit the boy. The family were told there was a (slim) possiblity that he would not regain the use of his legs or more likely would always walk with a limp. The driver was driving UNDER the speeed limit and was cleared of all blame by the Police and by the family, who accepted completely that it was the boy's fault.

He recovered without a limp, but I think in the end he bounced back quicker than the driver, who will always have to live with the memory and sensation of hitting a ten year old boy and watching him fly up into the air. The only positive is thanks to the fact he was observing the speed limit, he does not have to live with a death on his conscience which he could have done nothing to prevent.

Even the best educated children are still children, and there are plenty of people out there who are not the best educated to start with. I'm not demonising anyone behind the wheel, my rant about mothers is more about hypocrisy than anything. There are some right eejits out there on both sides.