I have, unapologetically speaking, observed the lack of restraint motorists exhibit on a habitual basis.

It is not my intention to analyze this situation. Rather, let it serve as an illustration of the need to put these mavericks (although a maverick is more an individual, not descriptive of the behavior of a pack of lawless, impulsively driven motorists, which could more aptly be described as a "stampede,") firmly in their place.

We have become numb to the carnage on our roads. In the 1960's and 1970's, the United States' foreign policy in Vietnam (otherwise known as the "Vietnam War," a term used, undoubtedly, because "police action" was already archaic,) was totally redirected, for good or ill, by the sentiments of a nation weary of television pics revealing Americans and innocent Vietnamese slaughtered on a daily basis. Yet, we tolerate, on an annual basis, almost as many Americans slaughtered on our roads as were killed during the entire span of that foreign campaign--about 40,000 American deaths annually--while the Vietnam War lasted about a decade.

I grieve over a young man or woman who is killed serving his/her country. But is the life of a 7 year-old, whose bloody shoe is left at the scence of an auto accident, any less precious?

Multiply that by 40,000, each year.



We are turning the other cheek all too frequently. Tomorrow, it may be someone we know (if not us.)

Q: What is the leading cause of death among American teenagers?