Everyone, I wanted to let you all know about a tradgedy that has occured in my life. One of my friends since childhood was killed on July 8th when he fell asleep at the wheel of his truck, ran off the road, rolled, and was thrown from the vehicle. He was not wearing his seatbelt, and was less than a quarter mile from his house. He was 22 years old (a year younger than myself).
He was a great kid and we spent many summers together vacationing at Lake Powell growing up. It was hard to say goodbye. I was angry as well as sad. He had a passion for cars, but he also had a history of issues with them. He totalled several while racing or attempting crazy stunts. He had so many speeding tickets that the police officers near his home would say "Hey Jason, how's it going?" when they pulled him over. I was planning on showing him my Boxster (though not let him drive it) as he probably would have wet himself and drooled all over my nice clean leather.
The reason I'm telling you this is this has made me much more aware of how quickly things can go sour when driving. It's a dangerous enough activity for just getting through the daily grind, but when you add that all of us have a passion for it as well, the risk increases significantly.
This accident might have been avoided if Jason had been wearing his seatbelt, or if he had simply said to his friend "Hey, I'm too tired to drive now. Can I crash here for a few hours?" As we all drive fast cars, it is more important than ever to take the proper perceautions. Buckle up! It just might save your life. And even if you have to pull off and sleep for 30 min. by the side of the road to make it home, just do it.
The most ironic twist to this is, with all his history of racing and totalling fast cars, he was killed while driving the speed limit in the tamest car he ever owned. I'll miss you buddy.
And everyone else, please be safe out there.