A Public Service Announcement

This is a public service announcement from the RIPADD (Reasonably Intelligent People Against Dimwitted Driving).

Ladies and Gentlemen, have you ever been driving and pulled up next to a young woman stopped at a light and doing her hair and makeup at the same time? Have you ever seen someone trying to text with one hand and drive with the other? Perhaps you have had the misfortune of stopping your car within 100 feet of a young man with music and bass blasting so loud that the windows on your car are vibrating. More common still is the person who feels the need to speed through a red light to try to save 1 minute of time waiting for the next green light.

If so, then perhaps you should join RIPADD. This organization has as its main goal the desire to deputize reasonably intelligent people to report and even ticket stupid drivers. How many times have you wished there was a police officer nearby when you spot a young person paying attention to friends in the backseat instead of the road in front of him? Well, now's your chance. Join RIPADD and aid in the fight to get stupid people off the road. Join the fight to allow good drivers to film bad drivers by using digital video cameras and then submitting the videos to a police agency who will track down and ticket the offender.

No more will we see drivers ignoring motorcyclists, or motorcyclists riding wheelies down the street. With one push of the "record" button, dimwitted drivers will be banished to using other modes of transportation. Join now!

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Okay, so that was a bit gratuitous. Still, my point is there. Too many people see driving as a right rather than a privilege. They drive as though no one else on the road matters, and that their convenience and time is more important than anyone else's time or safety.

Why do I write this today? A former co-worker who recently retired was broadsided by a pickup truck on Sunday. The intersection is a dangerous one, and we still don't know who was at fault. All we do know is that she is in the Intensive Care Unit of the local hospital with life-threatening injuries, and her husband of many years is by her side in a state of incredible grief and agitation. This man was also a former co-worker of mine, and had just finished doing some work for me creating a great patio. This couple are still madly in love after so many years, and he kept telling me and my wife how happy he was to be married to this woman. And now, he is unsure if she will ever speak to him again.

People, please think when you're in a car. You are responsible for a machine that can kill in an instant. Drive as though you recognize it. Treat driving as the great responsibility that it is. Realize that being one minute later to an appointment isn't worth running a red light. And understand that a momentary lapse in judgment, caution, or attention can ruin any number of lives, including your own.

Janis and Tony...my thoughts are with you both.