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It was not the driver's fault in this case. The child ran right into a residential road with a high speed limit. The road should not have had such a high speed
by magic_beans 9y ago
It was not the driver's fault in this case. The child ran right into a residential road with a high speed limit.
The road should not have had such a high speed limit, should have had speed bumps, and possible the little boy's parents should have had a fence.
Punishing the driver in this case doesn't fix the problem at all.
- fjsolwmv 9y agoPunishing the driver would make drivers join with residents in fighting for speed control. The current state is a huge privilege for drivers at the expenses of pedestrians, because drivers aren't required to care about safety.
- logfromblammo 9y agoTragic preventable automobile accidents will continue to not be prevented, because over-engineering for one particular criterion is its own kind of tragedy. In this particular case, there is one thing that stands out to me above all others: the mailboxes were on the opposite side of the road from the houses. The second thing that distressed me was that the cop, after investigating and deciding there was no reasonable suspicion that the driver was criminally culpable, went on to lecture the driver anyway. The road should have had a high speed limit, with no speed bumps. And there should have been no reason for pedestrians to ever set foot on it. Those mailboxes were on the wrong side of the road, because the postmaster decided that the driver on that rural route should not have to turn around twice or exit their vehicle to service those addresses. That boy died to save $300 in postal employee wages per year. The homes should have had a gravel frontage road--behind a guardrail, bollards, cable, or Jersey barrier--with the mailboxes on the same side of the main road as the buildings. And the cop should not have been lecturing anybody. That's the judge's job. No arrest? That means no judge, and no lecture. "Here's the number of the guy we called out to tow your vehicle, and the department's photocopied resource list of local businesses that may be helpful to you today, in the aftermath of your incident. I can give you a ride back into town, where you will have an opportunity to give a written statement for the accident report. Then you can use one of the payphones in the lobby to call somebody."
- Simon_says 9y agoCops just want to feel like they're doing something productive. Best just to ignore them.
- drewm1980 9y agoRevoking the driver's license permanently will reduce the chance of her killing another child do zero. It's not punishment, it's prevention. We should be telling drivers who injure people "don't worry, this horrible thing will never happen to you again, because driving is no longer a part of your role in society."