Death of our own creation
Roads have become one of the leading sources of death in Kenya. Nothing is wrong with the roads since they are man-made. Nothing is wrong with the vehicles since they are also man-made. So, who is at fault ? Human beings with the know-how to operate the vehicles are to blame.
As the people who manufacture vehicles, how is it that our own creations can defeat us? We should be able to put them under control. But as it turns out, we have become so careless in our ways that we are not able to control neither the vehicles nor the roads.
Road accidents have become one of the leading causes of death on our roads because we are an ignorant lot. We are careless people. We like short cuts. We want to bribe our way through driving school! Of all the things that one can bribe on, bribing to get a driving licence is like signing your death certificate. It is a straight death wish.
People are so used to getting things the easy way that they are incapable of differentiating between crucial life and death issues. When I was given the go-ahead to drive all by myself, I was told these words which are very crucial and always ring in my head every time I see drivers playing around on the roads: A car is a coffin with wheels. These are very true words.
Ignorance will be our end
On the roads, you meet all kinds of crazy drivers. There are those who get excessively drunk to the extent of sleeping on the wheel. The biggest challenge is telling these people to let someone else drive. They always claim that their cars know their way home! How can a car know its way home? Ignorance is the number one killer on the roads.
In their pride and ignorance, they end up endangering the lives of other innocent drivers and pedestrians. How many testimonies have you heard of people who are now incapacitated due to road accidents? Victims of a mistake that they were not a part of. Yet they were very careful and responsible drivers. This is when people say, life is unfair since it leaves the perpetrators to have another shot at life while the ones who were not at fault are left to pay for your sins.
We despise those who want us to do the right thing and wish them ill in their lives. We only like and praise the people who tell us what we want to hear but hate the truth bearers. The truth is painful but in as much as it hurts we must learn to do the right thing.
In matters that concern our lives, it is pertinent that we do the right thing.What benefit is in paying extra cash to get a license quick and easy? What would cost one to attend the classes? It only takes 3 months at most. In fact, the classes are always fun and humorous. There is never a boring moment in driving school especially for those who drive BCE class.
Driving the lorry is the most fun class to choose for those who are yet to learn how to drive. The friendships you create and the stories shared are fun and always something to look forward to every single day you are bundled at the back of the lorry as you await your turn.
But where did we go wrong as a country? We are so full of ignorant people who never take things seriously. Our roads have become death traps of our own creation. If we made a conscious effort to act responsibly, then our lives would be great.
The responsible ‘sacrificial lamb’
The most annoying thing is to be involved in an accident where you were never in the wrong. Those crazy and proud lorry drivers who belittle people in their small cars are a despicable lot. They blare their horns to scare the learners into the nearest ditch. Why would anyone be so cruel?
They will bully you out of the road and laugh about it. Their aim is to get a kick out of it. How can one get joy from another person’s fear? What joy is in seeing someone land into a ditch? What joy is in putting fear in a new driver? This lot is very notorious when it comes to the ‘L’ at the back of a car. It gives them a certain kind of thrill to see someone cower.
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But in reality, they are the cowards. They are just mere drivers who can’t afford a car let alone a lorry yet their work is terrorizing car owners. They terrorize people who own log books and know the comfort of driving themselves wherever their heart desires. They scare people the very people who pay their salaries.
Then there are those who drive while on their phones. How much will it cost you to wait until you get to your destination? This is a short cut to death. Then the drug addicts who claim to see the road well after a puff, sniff or injection. This is another shortcut to death.
A conscious decision
Why can’t we all choose to be responsible drivers? Don’t we value our lives? Why can’t we value the very life that Jesus Christ sacrificed for us on the cross so that we could have ours in full? Behaving careless shows our ungratefulness, lack of responsibility and ungraciousness in life.
Life is precious. Let us all preserve it with all we’ve got. In our driving let us all be careful. In the same way, we do not want to be casualties, let us also not create casualties. Road accidents are a death of our own creation. It starts and ends with us. Let’s all be responsible.
