Non-photos and stupidity

[altivo]

Well, I spent some time today taking blurry photos of where the foxes were just before I pressed the shutter. No actual foxes appear in any of them, though I myself was treated to several fine views of mom and baby. They are still hanging around that old pile of logs in the woodlot.

Also was treated to a fine demonstration of stupidity in action. There is road work going on at a bridge over the Kishwaukee River just north of Marengo on route 23. This is the third time in four years that they've torn that bridge up, so something is very wrong with the way the repairs are being managed, but that's another issue. Both lanes of traffic are presently diverted onto one shoulder, with a work zone speed limit posted, no passing, double yellow striping, etc. On the approach to that spot, a kid in a maroon mustang started tailgating me. No doubt he didn't like the fact that I was observing the posted speed limit of 50 mph. Just as I entered the work zone, which is posted at 45 mph, he went roaring around me, violating the speed limit, the work zone regulation, the double yellow line, and the no passing signs so he could take off at about 70 mph.

Half a mile farther north is the intersection with River Rd., which is one of the county's most dangerous corners with many deaths blamed on it. There's a visibility issue, caused by a steep and high hill north of the intersection; and that's compounded with the tendency for people to travel at 65 mph or more on 23, even though the posted limits there are 50 and the intersection is marked by flashing yellow lights. Traffic on 23 is not required to stop, and usually doesn't even slow down. Cars coming south at high speed will crest that hill and suddenly see that the intersection is blocked for whatever reason, but they can't stop in time.

The maroon mustang, if he was involved, was merely a cause and not directly affected. But when I reached the corner, a black mustang was nose first into the ditch with smoke coming out from under the hood. People who had stopped on the shoulder were helping another teen or twenty something kid to stand since he obviously had a sprained or broken ankle. Another vehicle was sitting in the middle of the intersection with major damage to its front end. Both damaged cars were pointing north by then, so the exact details were unclear. Since there were many people there (no police had yet arrived) and I wasn't a witness, I turned onto River Rd. and continued on my way home. I'm willing to bet, though, that the black mustang was also travelling at excessive speed and lost control trying to avoid a collision. Oh, and said black mustang was still on temporary plates, which means less than 30 days since purchase.

The roads in this rural area are not built for this sort of behavior. They have no shoulders, and are very narrow. They curve a lot, and we have a fair number of hills that obstruct visibility. In spite of all that, many drivers persist in ignoring speed limits, no passing zones, and just plain common sense in order to drive as fast as they like. We live close enough to that bad intersection that we regularly see the medical evacuation helicopters passing overhead carrying yet another victim away.

It's a wonder that humans have managed to survive so long. I can only put it up to incredible lack of self control when it comes to reproduction, so that there are always plenty more where the ultimate casualties came from.

Comments

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

I fully support everyones right to kill themselves in any manner they deem fit, but when you endangerin' mah mamma...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

They tend to ruin nice trees by plowing into them at speed too. That's more typical in the winter.

[lobowolf.livejournal.com]

Go to YouTube and put "Mustang Crash" in the search box and you'll get a million hits.

Kid + Mustang + 300 HP = Nothing good.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree. I've always wondered what is wrong with human thinking though that makes us create things like the muscle car and then let idiots have them to play with.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

A wolf on a hoss? :D

Young kiddy winkies who've just got their licenses are now limited here to the power output that they can drive. Like with motorcycles.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That's being tried here too, but it doesn't seem to help a whole lot. They've also tried saying that new drivers can't have passengers on the theory that passengers cause distractions. I don't think it makes any difference.

Another problem is that if the kid wants to drive wildly, and you say he can't have the opportunity until he's 21 or 25 or whatever, he just becomes that much more wild when he gets to "the age". Drinking age works the same way. What it takes is social pressure from peers saying that getting drunk or driving like an idiot is "not cool." But I don't see that happening at all.

Yes, the problem is that they endanger others, and even kill them. That intersection I mentioned is an example. The idiot driver is protected by his air bags and probably survives. The people he t-bones at 70 mph are dead. The state will yank his license of course, and when he gets it back his insurance will be a zillion dollars a year, but neither will stop him from driving. Most of the people in Illinois whose licenses have been suspended just keep driving anyway. If they can't afford insurance, they go without it (even though driving without insurance also means your license can be suspended... after all, it already was!) Caught on the second offense, they just get probation. On the third they should in theory go to jail, but there's usually no room or some other excuse, and so forth. The law has no teeth, society doesn't do a good enough job of putting pressure on these jerks, and... the madness continues.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I think the message is gettting across slowly here, they've had big ad campaigns (some quite disturbing really)
We've got anti hoon laws,
provisional license holders have curfews, power restrictions, passenger limits, blood alcohol limits.

[lobowolf.livejournal.com]

You've never seen the cult classic Planet of the Wolves?

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Nope :)

[doco.livejournal.com]

Don't they do roundabouts in your part of the woods? That intersection looks just perfect for one.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The typical American driver would plow right through the center island at 70 mph. Roundabouts are used in some city environments (few) but most Americans have never seen one. On a low traffic rural road, you would never find one nor would you expect one. That particular intersection needs a forced stop, with warning signs in advance.

The real problem is speed. Americans drive way too fast for road and weather conditions most of the time. Enforcing safe speeds is unpopular, and in rural areas the sheriff is usually an elected official and therefore doesn't like to do things that make him unpopular.

[alaskawolf.livejournal.com]

their putting in a few round abouts in one of my towns up here, it will be interesting to see how things go when its all snow and ice. im sure the city snw plow drivers are going to ahte it too

ill just do endless drifts around them :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lVzuf-6VX0

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

We've got quite a lot of them, a lot of people don't know how they work on multi lanes but its much better now than it was.

I like em :D makes things interesting.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Chicago has tried it on some neighborhood streets that are, in theory, low traffic. It's a disaster. Where I went to college we had them all over campus. They seemed to work, but it was mostly because there was very little vehicle traffic other than the campus bus service. They do slow down at least some of the wild drivers, but only if they can see it coming and are sober enough to care.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

They don't seem to teach driver's ed here in Nebraska.

I'm from Southern California, a place with a reputation for speed, rude drivers and road rage, but it's nothing compared to Nebraska. I was nearly run off the road less than 1 minute after crossing the state line for the first time. Nebraskans are EXTREMELY rude drivers and will speed up rather than allow someone to change lanes. They also have absolutely no concept of safe following distance; it's not uncommon to see people less than 10 feet off another driver's rear bumper, on the Interstate!

I've seen more accidents (95% rear-end) since moving here than I ever did in San Diego, and we had more cars in one CITY than the entire STATE of Nebraska AND several neighbors combined!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If you start asking, the standard answers you get will be 1) there's not enough traffic to matter; 2) the distances to be covered are so great that you HAVE to drive fast; and 3) the government has no right to tell us how to drive, or make us have licenses, or insurance.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Darwinism at its finest, though they endager others which irks me somewhat.

Which reminds me another load of ambulances went up the mountain roads this weekend again.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that would be like the medical helicopters that go overhead here two or three times a week.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I want to have automatic caltrop dispersers at my beck and call...

Unfortunately I think part of the problem is the opposite of your reproduction theory: too many people put little or no restrictions on their breeding (after all, that's what the Pope/Bible/whatever says is required), and stupid people don't think about consequences as much and thus breed even more. It makes me fear that the average IQ of the US is dropping a point a year.

Of course, some of this is based on my own meritocratic snobbery, but I think it's not completely divorced from the truth.

Whatever that is ;)

Keep aiming for those foxes - you'll get 'em eventually!

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote