it has been a sad day today.
for so many reasons and on so many levels.
i feel sadness at the loss of four beautiful young men; i feel sadness when i speak to their families and i am lost as to what i can say to them; i feel sorrow for the immense burden and guilt carried on such young shoulders and i feel shame that i am thankful that it wasn't one of my boys in the car on that fateful night.
feel free to print up the following letter written by inspector owen king, a local police officer who was first on the scene of the fatal accident that took four of our boys in october last year.
stick it on your fridge, give it to your kids.
if it makes them think twice about the way they choose to drive a car, it will not have been a waste of time giving it to them.
Car smashes are democratic. They do not discriminate. Good kids die as easily as ratbags.
One moment's lapse can kill you. That moment when you reach over to change the CD from The Herd to Cat Empire, that flicker of time with your eyes off the road is all it takes. And then there will be no more Big Day Out, no more Splendour in the Grass. If you want to hear music again that ain't harps, keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.
Wake your parents if you need a safe lift. They'll be tired and cranky but that's their job. Wake them up to come and get you. They'll crack up a little but that's nothing compared to a lifetime of grief.
Chill out. Every day on the roads, some dropkick may cut you off, try to drag you off, give you the finger, dare you to do something stupid. They are everywhere. They have big egos and little brains. Let them go. Chill out.
How much are you willing to trade for that one moment? It takes just one mad moment to be killed on the roads — speed, distraction, drink — and you lose so much. You won't get to take that overseas trip, you won't get to have that huge 21st party, you won't get to go to that grand final with you rmates, and you won't get to do that surfing safari around Australia. All that — gone.
Cars take two hands to drive. Not one hand for driving and one for texting on the mobile phone or putting on lipstick. Not one for driving and one on your girlfriend's leg. Not using knees to drive while writing down a phone number. It takes two hands to drive a car.
Seatbelts are made to stop your body exiting the car headfirst. Heads are not designed for this and split like melons. Wear your seatbelt.
The boot of a car is for the spare wheel. No matter what's happening — you urgently need a lift, it's not far, the car is full — don't climb into a boot. It's like willingly climbing into a coffin. You are made of soft flesh and bone. In a rollover or bad smash, it is like food in a blender.
You love speed? Go surf the face of a big wave down at Burleigh. Go bungee jump. Get your kicks that way. Because if you love speed on the road, sooner or later you will take a corner too fast and some big gum tree will get in the way and end the love affair.
The road toll only shows the dead. Modern car technology means more people are surviving bad car smashes but with horrific injuries. Brain-injury wards are filled with young women trying to learn how to feed themselves and young blokes who believed they were unbreakable trying to master wheelchairs. You may survive but the life you once knew has effectively ended.
If you drive a car full of passengers and cause a bad smash, grief and guilt will wrap you up like a skin. Minimise the chances. Lighten up. You probably learnt to drive with only one passenger. When all your mates pack into the car, that's an extra 320kg and the car will brake, corner and handle completely differently because of it. So slow down, for their sake. Better still, carry just one mate.
Anyone can drive fast. It just takes a heavy foot. No great driving finesse needed. It takes no great brains. Not everyone has restraint and control and maturity to drive to the limit. That takes more guts, especially when others are speeding.
The police, firies and ambos are tired of dragging broken young bodies from wrecks. They are tired of the smell of blood and despair and hot engines at car crash scenes. They are tired of knocking on front doors at 2am to parents dressed in pyjamas and bone-pale faces. They are tired and it is not even the start of the mad Christmas season. They are tired of the waste. Give them a break.
Living is the best revenge. You want to rebel against the system, against your parents, against authority. Great. Survive. Outlive them all and enjoy life.
You're precious to so many. Act it. You're someone's son or daughter, much-loved grandchild, best mate. Act it. You're potentially someone's great love. Act it.
remember to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~
shazz xo
HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
it's still raining !!!
for so many reasons and on so many levels.
i feel sadness at the loss of four beautiful young men; i feel sadness when i speak to their families and i am lost as to what i can say to them; i feel sorrow for the immense burden and guilt carried on such young shoulders and i feel shame that i am thankful that it wasn't one of my boys in the car on that fateful night.
feel free to print up the following letter written by inspector owen king, a local police officer who was first on the scene of the fatal accident that took four of our boys in october last year.
stick it on your fridge, give it to your kids.
if it makes them think twice about the way they choose to drive a car, it will not have been a waste of time giving it to them.
Car smashes are democratic. They do not discriminate. Good kids die as easily as ratbags.
One moment's lapse can kill you. That moment when you reach over to change the CD from The Herd to Cat Empire, that flicker of time with your eyes off the road is all it takes. And then there will be no more Big Day Out, no more Splendour in the Grass. If you want to hear music again that ain't harps, keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.
Wake your parents if you need a safe lift. They'll be tired and cranky but that's their job. Wake them up to come and get you. They'll crack up a little but that's nothing compared to a lifetime of grief.
Chill out. Every day on the roads, some dropkick may cut you off, try to drag you off, give you the finger, dare you to do something stupid. They are everywhere. They have big egos and little brains. Let them go. Chill out.
How much are you willing to trade for that one moment? It takes just one mad moment to be killed on the roads — speed, distraction, drink — and you lose so much. You won't get to take that overseas trip, you won't get to have that huge 21st party, you won't get to go to that grand final with you rmates, and you won't get to do that surfing safari around Australia. All that — gone.
Cars take two hands to drive. Not one hand for driving and one for texting on the mobile phone or putting on lipstick. Not one for driving and one on your girlfriend's leg. Not using knees to drive while writing down a phone number. It takes two hands to drive a car.
Seatbelts are made to stop your body exiting the car headfirst. Heads are not designed for this and split like melons. Wear your seatbelt.
The boot of a car is for the spare wheel. No matter what's happening — you urgently need a lift, it's not far, the car is full — don't climb into a boot. It's like willingly climbing into a coffin. You are made of soft flesh and bone. In a rollover or bad smash, it is like food in a blender.
You love speed? Go surf the face of a big wave down at Burleigh. Go bungee jump. Get your kicks that way. Because if you love speed on the road, sooner or later you will take a corner too fast and some big gum tree will get in the way and end the love affair.
The road toll only shows the dead. Modern car technology means more people are surviving bad car smashes but with horrific injuries. Brain-injury wards are filled with young women trying to learn how to feed themselves and young blokes who believed they were unbreakable trying to master wheelchairs. You may survive but the life you once knew has effectively ended.
If you drive a car full of passengers and cause a bad smash, grief and guilt will wrap you up like a skin. Minimise the chances. Lighten up. You probably learnt to drive with only one passenger. When all your mates pack into the car, that's an extra 320kg and the car will brake, corner and handle completely differently because of it. So slow down, for their sake. Better still, carry just one mate.
Anyone can drive fast. It just takes a heavy foot. No great driving finesse needed. It takes no great brains. Not everyone has restraint and control and maturity to drive to the limit. That takes more guts, especially when others are speeding.
The police, firies and ambos are tired of dragging broken young bodies from wrecks. They are tired of the smell of blood and despair and hot engines at car crash scenes. They are tired of knocking on front doors at 2am to parents dressed in pyjamas and bone-pale faces. They are tired and it is not even the start of the mad Christmas season. They are tired of the waste. Give them a break.
Living is the best revenge. You want to rebel against the system, against your parents, against authority. Great. Survive. Outlive them all and enjoy life.
You're precious to so many. Act it. You're someone's son or daughter, much-loved grandchild, best mate. Act it. You're potentially someone's great love. Act it.
remember to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~
shazz xo
HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
it's still raining !!!
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