Another traffic death

A 25 year old lost his life yesterday in the traffic congestion. Yes, he was doing wrong, but, he paid with his life. When will they do something about all these accidents and deaths?

Harry, Do they teach driver's ed in schools here?   If so, do they emphasize motorcycle and scooter skills?

In US the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) conducts classes in conjunction with State DMV's where the riders are educated and tested (I took their courses, VA and AZ).

The young man was my housekeeper's cousin.
The deaths will be fewer when young people (specifically male) cease to think that they are immortal.

... but you aren't waiting for that to happen in your lifetime no matter the country, eh?

Nope. People indulge in risky behaviour all the time but there's usually a way back when it proves dangerous. Surviving a motorcyle accident even with proper training, licensing and equipment is difficult. YMMV.

There's a young man in my town who rides his moto really dangerously. I almost hit him head-on one day as he came around a blind curve on the wrong side of the road.

I know his mom peripherally- she has been the cleaner for my friend's little hostel forever. A few days after almost killing her son, I stopped by the hostel to see my friend, who wasn't there, but this woman was, sitting at the sewing machine on the kitchen table, so I sat down to chat with her, and told her about the near accident.

She sighed and said she hears a lot about his bad riding. She said whenever someone tells her this, she takes his moto keys away, telling him he can't have them back for a week. I asked her what happens then. She said, well after a couple days he comes to me, and puts his arms around my neck and kisses me, and tells me I'm the best mom in the whole world and how much he loves me, and then how he really needs his moto keys back.

"And then, Yolanda?"
"I give them back."
"So you know who owns this problem, right?"
"Yes, me."

I told her she better start changing the way she deals with this unless she wants a dead son. But I doubt she has.

mudgirl wrote:There's a young man in my town who rides his moto really dangerously. I almost hit him head-on one day as he came around a blind curve on the wrong side of the road.

I know his mom peripherally- she has been the cleaner for my friend's little hostel forever. A few days after almost killing her son, I stopped by the hostel to see my friend, who wasn't there, but this woman was, sitting at the sewing machine on the kitchen table, so I sat down to chat with her, and told her about the near accident.

She sighed and said she hears a lot about his bad riding. She said whenever someone tells her this, she takes his moto keys away, telling him he can't have them back for a week. I asked her what happens then. She said, well after a couple days he comes to me, and puts his arms around my neck and kisses me, and tells me I'm the best mom in the whole world and how much he loves me, and then how he really needs his moto keys back.

"And then, Yolanda?"
"I give them back."
"So you know who owns this problem, right?"
"Yes, me."

I told her she better start changing the way she deals with this unless she wants a dead son. But I doubt she has.

I agonize over their relationship! Aching mothers and irresponsible children (Yeah, mostly sons)! I don't think she owns the problem, at least in the sense that it's her "fault" if her now-adult son makes bad decisions. It's the biggest reason I chose never to have children. This is just so sad. Thank you for this post, Mudgirl!

In my group of riders up north I was the last person who did not limp. Mostly caused by bad four wheel drivers. End of riding. I won't even ride a bicycle here. It is so so sad.

DuckieHoomever wrote:

I agonize over their relationship! Aching mothers and irresponsible children (Yeah, mostly sons)! I don't think she owns the problem, at least in the sense that it's her "fault" if her now-adult son makes bad decisions. It's the biggest reason I chose never to have children. This is just so sad. Thank you for this post, Mudgirl!

I raised 3 daughters, no sons, so it's quite glaring to me to see the way mothers seem to think their sons can do no wrong. It's worse in macho countries, but it happens everywhere I've ever lived. I once askeed one of my best friends in Canada if she realized she expected different behavior and treated her son quite differently than she did her 2 daughters. Even though she was a youth and family counselor, she was completely unaware of it.

That guy in my story wasn't an adult- he was about 14/15 when I almost ran into him a few years ago.