More on death (Moron death)

Okay, okay. I know I've got a death theme going here, and that's not intentional. But hear me out one more time, and then I'll move on to complaining about ward members who take advantage of your profession for their own personal non-church-related projects.

One of my biggest fears is causing an accidental death in a car accident. What I'm talking about is something completely out of my control. Like someone crashing into me (and dying) or a bike suddenly darting right in front of my car, etc. And then the person dies. I think that I'd need serious therapy. I mean, I would know that it's not my fault and it's just a freak accident, but forever more, I would have to question, did I have to go out right that moment to get a milkshake or [insert any banal activity here].

In fact, I listened to an episode of This American Life called "Life After Death" the other day, and it talks about those who survive after having killed someone else. And a really really interesting comment from a psychologist was that when a car accident that takes someone's life is completely accidental and no fault whatsoever of the driver's, the driver suffers more psychologically because of it. He explains that if an accident is caused because of driver fault (drunk driving, drowsy driving, etc.) then the driver has something that he or she can fix. The driver can choose never to drink and drive again, or choose to pull over when drowsy instead of pushing on. But a driver who has done nothing wrong at all but caused a death has nothing to fix or change. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Anyway. Why this post? Last night as Murray and I were driving on the freeway at 65 mph, a motorcyclist zoomed past us. He was going at least 80 or 85. It was night. It was dark. He wasn't wearing a helmet. And he was wearing sun glasses.

What makes me angry about the whole thing is that if I get in an accident with that guy and he definitely dies (see aforementioned speed and no-helmet status), then that's on my conscience for the rest of my life. But it would be his reckless behavior that caused it. I get angry that people can be so casual about their own lives, and really, they think that they're the only ones impacted by their decisions. It's really stupid. They're really stupid.

And what ticks me off, too, is that there was a police cruiser behind us shortly after the motorcyclist went by. It would have made my night to see the motorcyclist get a ticket. Alas. The police must not have seen it.

14 comments:

MTDA said...

I was just glad I was going he appropriate and safely approved speed limit. You know what I always say, Saftey first.....saftey first.

natali said...

you shouldnt feel that bad. anyone who rides a motorcycle has a secret death wish so really you are just making their wishes come true.

Sarah Heder said...

Completely agree with you. And, I have to say that I love "This American Life" too! Dan and I listen to it in the car all the time.

bedelia said...

Back in the day, when we lived in Texas there was a fad where motorcycle idiots would pop wheelies doing 80-100 mph. It was at night so you couldn't see them approaching since there light was shining up. I had one pass me once and it was the craziest thing ever. I've heard that chasing bikes for cops is a waste because if the bike runs there is no way for them to catch up with them because motorcycles can go so much faster. Knowing nothing about bike speeds, I cannot attest to the validity of that statement. Also in TX, all bikers must were helmets unless they take a course which makes there license special. Its kind of ironic that someone would take a class to be able to not wear a helmet.

bedelia said...

correction: their light Just so you know, I'm terrified of making grammatical errors in comments. And did you know you can graduate with an English degree from BYU without taking a grammar class. At least, prior to 2001 when I graduated you could, because I did.

natali said...

grammar is only interesting (to me) from a historical and social perspective. i think grammar classes belong in sociological/psychology and maybe history classes.

Petit Elefant said...

I listened to that segment as well. Sad, really. But if you choose to wear no helmet and speed on a motorcycle, you deserve to be my personal organ donor.

daltongirl said...

Murray: Before you say "Safety first . . . safety first," do you say, "Lot of traffic out tonight, sir"? And are you driving a cement mixer?

We used to live on a country road, and people would go like 120 mph on it in front of our house. One time a guy on a motorcycle got in a horribly gory accident almost at our door. I have hated motorcycles ever since. And I've thought that motorcycle riders are a bit crazy. Or have secret death wishes.

Michal Czarnecki said...

Maybe the rider was your own brother on his motorbike and I was his passenger riding "bitch" to go see Batman. I know we passed by you so quickly that it was all a blur, but it was I who wore the sun glasses to keep his long, flowing hair out of my eyes.

Kristi said...

Having worked in accident reconstruction and seen the police and scene photos from nasty, nasty accidents, this is a pet peeve of mine, too. It's scary enough with random bicyclists who don't have lights, reflectors, or light-colored clothing. Why do we need helmetless (and apparently brainless) motorcyclists whizzing by, too?

Jordy said...

I don't think the Utah Highway Patrol really patrols. I went to traffic school last night in Provo, and there were a couple of questions asked regarding the interstate, and the officer responded to one of them by saying, "Yeaa... the UHP doesn't really do their job." So, if there is any place you should really drive defensively, it's the interstate; especially since the officer last night said the average speed people drive on I-15 is 75.

B said...

whoa. im so scared of such things.

Anonymous said...

Two things:

1. I've never thought about the personal trauma associated with accidentally killing someone. Now I can't stop thinking about it.

2. Motorcycle drivers are a liability to us all.

Christina said...

Completely unrelated, but haev you seen the Spoonflower company blog? It seems like it would be right up your alley. It's http://blog.spoonflower.com/ and I'm guessing you have already seen it because you're cool like that.