The Safe Driver

Short term pleasure for long term suffering

Bungee jumping, skydiving, hang gliding and perhaps even cliff diving will all bring an adrenaline rush for a short period of time with lasting memories, good memories. Doing something for a short period of time that can give you a thrill is something many people add to their bucket list – something they want to do in their lifetime. These are all things which can be done in a very safe manner, with many safety precautions in place. However, driving on public roads to get “a rush” does not qualify.

Recently there was an 18 year old driver in Ontario Canada who decided to take his dad’s Mercedes out for a drive. He was clocked at 308 km/h in a 100 km/h zone. That is 191 mph. More than triple the speed limit. What was he thinking? Or was he thinking? The short-term pleasure, thrill or adrenaline rush he attempted will lead him into a long-term pain. Financially, his insurance would go up, and stay up for many years. If he’s insured under his parents, their insurance will also go up and stay up. If money is no object for this young, immature driver, wait until he’s on his own and has to pay out the insurance himself. But this short-term pleasure could have had a devastating long-lasting turn of events.

Imagine another driver ahead of them who takes a glance in their mirror and notice headlights well behind them, they check their blind spot and all clear, so they change lanes. The only problem was the driver behind them was traveling over 300 km/h and will there within seconds. The force of the crash would send crumpled metal everywhere. Bodies flying from torn about chunks of metal that once resembled vehicles. Multiple vehicles involved. All of this because they wanted an adrenaline rush? Careless, immature, irresponsible, naïve, selfish and reckless all come to mind. Oh, and another word comes to mind; lucky. Lucky that no other driver came in contact with this person. Lucky that they were caught before any lives were lost. But now is the beginning.

This careless driver was charge with ‘stunt driving’ which carries with it a hefty fine, a 7 day licence suspension and 7 day vehicle impoundment. Along with that he was charged with a criminal code offence of dangerous driving. Good. A tough but accurate charge. Let’s hope the charges stick and they have to continue their future with the consequences of purposely driving in a careless and dangerous manner. And in Ontario, stunt driving carries a maximum fine of $10,000. It can also lead to six months behind bars and a two-year licence suspension. A dangerous driving charge can result in up to 10 years in prison in cases that cause bodily harm or death.

In case you’re wondering if this was “just a mistake”, it was consciously done by this driver and when the officer pulled the driver over, they gave the officer the impression they could have gone faster and that they’ve driven fast previously. Driving fast in a controlled manner such as a race track with safety precautions in place would have been a better place for this adrenaline rush seeker to go.

We know and hope the courts will look after this. Hopefully, the parent of this driver steps up and refuse to allow their son to drive their vehicle for a long time as well. As many of us have been told when we were learning to drive, a driver’s licence is a privilege, not a right. The performance this 18 year old driver attempted should be enough to say enough is enough. The privilege is over. Stop now before you kill someone, including yourself. If younger drivers can’t police themselves to drive responsibly, then someone else has to…before lives are lost.

**Have a quick listen to this short episode of the “Speed Bumps” podcast as it addresses those who speed and how they need an attitude adjustment!