| Deaths
Highlight Unlearned Lessons |
| The Virginia State Police reported the deaths of 13 adults
and one child in traffic crashes over the Memorial Day weekend.
Fourteen deaths over one weekend is too high, but a breakdown
of the statistics proves even more concerning. |
| The state police reported the deaths were the result of
nine accidents. Four involved motorcycles and all riders were
wearing helmets. One victim was riding a bicycle. In the four
crashes involving cars or SUVs, every person killed was not
wearing a seat belt. |
| To find, in this day and age, that people still don't wear
their seat belts while driving or riding in a car is disturbing.
When I was a child, my mother would refuse to move the car
unless everybody, even other adult passengers, was buckled
in. That was in the 1970s. |
| I can't understand why anyone would travel 15 feet in a
car without their seat belts on after having more than three
decades to learn that of all the safety improvements in automobiles,
wearing a seat belt is the simplest and easiest way for a
person to protect themselves in the even of a crash. |
| The other part of the state police report that was surprising
was that four of the fatal crashes over Memorial Day involved
motorcycles. All victims were wearing their helmets, so the
motorcyclists seem to have learned their lessons better than
the automobile passengers and drivers. |
| However, these statistics illustrate how important it is
for every motorcyclist to receive formal training on the best
accident-avoidance techniques and defensive driving techniques. |
