Green River Pentecostal Church news

Comment by puckettd: Saturday, August 21

Thank you for remembering my grandmother and father. Donna Puckett, Jonesville NC...read more...

Obituary: Lorna Jo McBee, 14

Comment by AvidReader: Thursday, August 19

With loving prayers for the Mc Bee family. Your friends and family care deeply....read more...

Lincoln, Garrard eye regional detention center

Comment by AvidReader: Thursday, August 19

This issue is really confusing for me...some of the candidates at the last forum supported the idea....read more...

» Read more recent story comments
» Register for your account

The past few months have shown that one of the most dangerous places you can be in Lincoln County is on the road. The emotional pain from these fatalities resonates with almost every citizen of the county in some way. Whether you were a family member, co-worker, friend or acquaintance to a victim, it’s likely that you’ve been impacted to some extent. Since the beginning of 2009, there have been 20 fatalities due to collisions. I, as well as many other fellow Lincoln Countians, find myself asking the questions, “What is causing this?” and most importantly, “How can we put an end to it?”

It’s a mystery as to why all of a sudden, so many deadly car crashes are occurring. There could be many factors - possibly some that can’t even be quantified. For instance, maybe there is a changing attitude towards driving in this county. For whatever reason, maybe something is subconsciously causing us to feel more comfortable behind the wheel and giving us a false sense of security. That is all hypothetical, however.

All I’m saying is that the most important thing we can do to prevent these accidents is to be aware that they do happen. It’s kind of a “cure all” for dangerous driving because it causes you to really dissect your driving behavior and hopefully improve it. Most often it’s the people who think that it can’t happen to them who actually find themselves upside-down in the ditch.

Other than improving our attitudes, there are a few more changes we can make to overcome this death streak. First of all, let’s put down the cell phones and useless distractions. We can all agree it’s within reason to go 15 minutes without sending a text message. The fact that you may have texted while driving a thousand other times and never wrecked means absolutely nothing. You can do it right countless times. It takes doing it wrong only once to get yourself, and possibly others, killed. Most motorists would rather see someone driving 70 mph down the highway than someone going 55 and texting or focusing their attention on something other than driving. Almost 50 percent of collisions are caused by not focusing on what you should while in the driver’s seat. And that’s only the official estimate. In reality, that’s probably far undershot because, come on, who wants to admit they caused a wreck cause they didn’t feel like listening to “Party in the USA” and had to change the station RIGHT THEN?

While speed isn’t nearly as dangerous as looking down at a cell phone screen, at least to me, it still is a very hazardous habit. And that’s exactly what it is – a habit. You don’t really need the extra one minute and 42 seconds you’ll achieve by driving 70 mph. You may FEEL like you’re really getting there quicker but all you’ve earned yourself is a brief conversation with a co-worker before you clock in. To some people, it’s just the fact they feel cool or want to look cool driving fast- especially in front of friends.

I assure you it’s much better to be alive than to have looked cool for that last five minutes of your life. As an 18 year old who just graduated high school, I’ve never had a friend make a comment about my driving, and I keep my speedometer constantly below 60. If you are a safe driver and you feel like people are getting impatient with you or talking about how ridiculous it is to go so slow, tell them where they can stick it. It’s much more important to hold your safety and that of others in high regard.

Lastly, we need to learn that wet roads are different from dry roads. Many people will argue that a wet road is every bit as perilous as a road covered in snow, and I can’t say that I disagree. It’s easy to forget how dangerous and slick a road can be when you introduce water to the situation. That holds very true for when rain has subsided and the sun has come back out. You can sometimes forget the road is wet at all. Just keep in mind that speed needs to be reduced when driving under these conditions and that turns should be taken much more softly.

The amount to which you alter your driving depends on how severe the conditions are, of course. But telling you to drive slowly in sub-hurricane weather is pointless. That’s common sense. The most important thing I can tell you is when conditions don’t seem bad at all, but roads are wet, be extra careful. That’s when people assume they can go about driving with a “business as usual” attitude, and that’s when wrecks happen.

This county is obviously in a rut. When I ask myself how many more people must die for us to get the idea, I hope the answer is none, but it’s hard to actually believe that. Let’s start going out of our way to keep focused on the road and prevent someone’s parents from receiving a phone call that their child is dead.

Story comments

Read all comments on this article (1) »

Posting comments on this web site requires free registration.

• Create your account
• Log in to your account