Waste

It's been a terrible week, as our community has struggled with trying to come to terms with a horror crash which caused the deaths of 3 people, and extremely serious injuries to 2 others. Two of the dead were teenagers, 17 and 16, and the driver of the other car, a 44 year-old father of 3, also died.

Such pointless and meaningless deaths. Why is it that in spite of all of the "driver education" programs in schools and in public forums such as magazines and television, some youg people still think they are bullet-proof?

Coincidentally, a new report was released this week about the people who cause crashes - but it didn't tell us anything new or surprising. 

I strongly believe that the driving age here in New Zealand is too low - at 15 they can get their Learner's License, then there are 2 further stages before they get a full license. On checking the net I found that there are a few countries where the minimum age is 16, and a couple of US states where it is 15.  Most countries have a far more sensible 18 or 17. Ours should be raised.

"Boy, when you're dead, they really fix you up.  I hope 

to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to 

just dump me in the river or something.  Anything except 

sticking me in a goddam cemetery.  People coming and 

putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, 

and all that crap.  Who wants flowers 

when you're dead?  Nobody."

~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye