Bob Collins(Indeed, I did steal this category from The Current’s “Theft of the Dial.” Today, I’m encouraging readers to write the blog posts. Send them to me at bcollins@mpr.org)
Ben Chorn in Duluth writes:
I am hoping that exposure to these stories help people make smarter decisions about driving.
This one: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/220470/
is about a 13 year old who took his parents car without permission, picked up some friends, then drove down a some-what rural road in Duluth. He was speeding and tried to pass someone in a non-passing zone. He had to swerve to miss an oncoming car which forced him into the ditch where he then hit a tree. Everyone went to the hospital, none were wearing seatbelts.
The other, http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/220465/
is about a 19 year old who at 7:30AM had a BAC over 0.08. He was also speeding and on a road that had 2 lanes in each direction, tried to pass someone. He hit an oncoming car with a grandmother and grandkid going to school, killing the woman.
The road conditions weren’t factors in any of these stories and all could have been avoided. I am hoping that people make better decisions. Just last night a friend on Facebook posted about how she was on a major road in Billings, MT and some idiots decided to street race their pick-ups. One ended up hitting a non-racing driver and then drove off. Luckily bystanders stopped and there weren’t any serious injuries.
