On my way to work I drove through a horrible accident scene.  It had just happened.  On Route 80 right by the Sheraton Tara in Parsippany.  A Pathfinder or 4-Runner on its roof, smashed in.  It was so horrible.   Car parts everywhere.  It must have just happened.  People were pulling over.  Snow everywhere.  The vehicle seems to have hit the snow bank on the side of the road and flipped.  Skid marks everywhere.  I knew that by the time I pulled over and turned on the cell phone to call the emergency people, those already pulled over would have already made contact.  The cops were on their way from Totowa by the time I got to Fairfield.

It was so horrible.  But here's the thing, there were still people driving erratically and aggressively after having passed that.  Besides that acquaintance losing family to a drunk driver, two friends were in a bad accident that same day, Friday.  A woman blew through a stop sign.  I have a hunch based on things said that she might have been on her cell phone.  At what point are people going to stop?  When are they going to stop being so self absorbed that they neglect the safety of others?  When I would be the passenger in the car with a former friend who was always fiddling with her cell phone, I would say I would handle it.  The response?  "No, I got it."  Really?  That "friend" nearly ran over an older woman in a crosswalk one day.  I asked if she would be more careful and attentive.  The answer?  "Yes, of course."  The reality?  She was not.  We can refuse to ride as passengers with people who drive like that, but that does not stop their reckless driving.  They just have one less passenger.  When we express our concern, we are treated the same way as those of us who do not drink (I know, so elitist of me).

They are untouchable.  They never get hurt.  They only hurt others.  I remember waiting to hear why hubby was late and could not be reached after work one day.  A lady blew through a stop sign because she was late for her hair appointment.  I cannot fathom what it is like to drive by such a scene and see someone you love has been hurt.  It is bad enough waiting to find out why someone is late....  And those who constantly do things that put others at risk are never the ones to get hurt.