Where do I begin.

How about a brief physics lesson....

Automobiles of all shapes and sizes were desined with certain safety measures on them. With common sense they can prevent all kinds of accidents. One such invention was the turn signal.

o_o

Their sole purpose was to signal (duh) your (not the cars) INTENT to make a move in a particular direction. Intent is a desire or motive to do something. Signaling AS you move defeats the purpose of the warning they were designed to provide other motorists.

We all have seen those 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile long exit lanes on the highway. When properly used they allow the motorist wanting to leave the flow of traffic to exit safely and without congestion. Makes sense right?

Now we will discuss the vehicle on which I find Myself daily. Nearly 15 ft long. 8-9 ft wide. 35,000lbs unladen weight. meaning empty to the layman. The average tractor trailor semi coach is around 20,000lbs. I might add they are significantly higher, and bigger in appearance. But looks are indeed decieving. Where does all this mass come from? Armor plating is the answer. Inches upon inches of it. Armored cars(trucks) were designed to withstand bullets AND explosives. A lower center of gravity, and vastly heavier than any vehicle short of a tank even when empty its hard to imagine anything being bigger.

Moving right along...

To the owner of the work truck who cut us off today.....

We dont stop on a dime. You didnt signal before cutting across three lanes of oncoming traffic to make the offramp just in time. If we even just glanced you, it would have been over. You obviously werent thinking. You didnt consider the risk you were taking. Your little work truck, despite being s dualie pickup wasnt even half the weight of our fully loaded tank and even if we hit you, we wouldnt stop to see if you survived. If a vehicle cuts a amroed car off we dont have to stop due to the nature of our cargo. How were we to know it wasnt intentional?

To those who see our trucks on the road. Be......careful.

Moving right along.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/33553.htm

(excerpt from the article)

KID SEES MOM SLAIN

By MICHAEL WHITE and ALY SUJO

November 7, 2004 -- A Long Island girl watched in horror as a drunken security guard fatally plowed his car into her mother as she was crossing the street, cops said yesterday.
Rubina Ramzan, 29, a Pakistani immigrant, was crossing Lakeland Avenue in Bohemia with her four children when she was struck at 8:35 p.m. Friday.

Serafin Santiago, 30, of Easy Street in Sayville, was collared moments after allegedly fleeing the scene of the accident.

Cops said his car plowed into Ramzan as she stood waiting to cross.

Relatives said Ramzan, who settled in Bohemia with her family three years ago, had been taking her three daughters, ages 9, 5 and 3, and son, 2, to a neighbor's house .

Moments before the accident, she ordered the kids to run ahead of her, and her 9-year-old daughter Eeman witnessed the accident, relatives said.

"She saw the whole thing," said Ramzan's brother, Wahid Sheikshick. "All her life, she's going to remember how this happened. Her mother died in front of her eyes."

Santiago was charged with DWI, vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

Mr Santiago, up until this incident.....was a CDL driver with My company.

Having left work early, he joined a few other questionable members of our staff to drinking at a nearby bar. You see the outcome. Prior to being hired by our company part of the process involves a polygraph where you are questioned about alcohol use, and abuse.

He was married.

He is now in jail.

He will be sued, and his life will NEVER be the same. And niether will the family's he effected either.

Stupidity, can kill people.

God didnt work in a mysterious way that night. A man, fully aware of the risks took fate in his own hands, and a small coincidence stole the mother from 5 children. He knew better. They all knew better.

Alcohol, and drugs boys and girls have but one purpose. To change reality.

We willingly put them into our bodies. We willingly take the risk of doing the wrong things. Influence of a foriegn substance isnt a reasonable excuse. This could have been avoided. But it was not to be.

You are ultimately responsible for your actions.

Mr Santiago deserves whatever they give him.

I have no pity for him. And I would hope anyone who reads this will think twice before taking fate in their hands too.