SPEEDING

Recently there was a terrible accident on the Great Western Highway east of Penrith. An elderly couple were killed when two 'hoons' drag racing each other slammed into the couples' car when it pulled across the speedsters.

The hoons have been arrested and subjected to the kind of vitriol normally reserved for paedophiles. There has been talk of confiscation of the offenders' vehicles - the police chief even going as far to suggest that the vehicles should be compacted and dropped on the owners' front lawn. A tad over-reactive methinks and just another indication of a goverment bereft of ideas.

It has been all over talk radio. People ringing in with condemnation of the two men. What HASN'T been mentioned is that the elderly couple - pulled out illegally in front of the two cars. This is typical of the older driver who meanders around the country not really knowing what's going on around them. I remember a cartoon from some time ago called Mr Magoo; in this 'toon, Mr Magoo just drove around leaving chaos and mayhem behind him yet completely oblivious to it. This describes an elderly driver perfectly.

Whatever the reason, they don't seem to be aware of their surrounds, instead concentrating fully on the road ahead and nothing more. Of course these two hoons should have been more careful but the bottom line here is that the elderly couple pulled out in front of the vehicles. If this had have happened at legal speeds the old man would have been facing court now.

It's a dreadful thing that happened - no-one denies it but look, these older people - their eyesight, hearing, all their senses are...well, not as sharp as they once were and it has resulted in their deaths. I, for example, in fact any competent driver wouldn't have pulled out in front of the speedsters. I would have seen them from waay back, realised they were movin quickly, and waited.

Anyway, it is a shame but people die - that's it, that's all there is!