A world-class idiot lost control of his BMW and slammed into my neighbour’s fence on Lindhout Avenue.
This was the very first time that anyone had ever made an accident on this particular spot, as there is only a slight bend in the (well-lit) road, and there were no adverse weather conditions at the time, or indeed for hours prior to the incident.
Only with the greatest restraint am I able to keep myself from commenting on the levels of inadequacy that a person must feel to personalise his number plates, but for the purpose of this letter, I will stick to the topic.
Of course, his lawyer was one of the first on the scene, annoyed that police had been summoned (is it not a legal requirement in the case of an accident?) and preventing this argument for birth control from being tested for alcohol or drug abuse.
His friend, exhibiting the same disregard for our community, sped off, completely ignoring the stop sign. What a shame that our species have deteriorated to the point where there is not even a smidgen of civilisation left in some people. Even if you normally drive like an irresponsible moron, could you not have abided by the road rules just this once, out of common courtesy to the people whom your idiotic friend had just traumatised?
The impact that this accident had on my neighbours was quite substantial: apart from the fact that their sense of security had been brutalised, their water supply had to be terminated, and their fence is so damaged that it poses a security threat, as anyone can have access to their property, and they are unable to keep their dogs in the yard.
The children were so traumatised that they started crying, and yet, they still came off lightly, considering that one of the children or pets could have been injured or even killed. Even so, they do not deserve to be inconvenienced for weeks because some thug believes that it is acceptable to speed through a residential area, endangering the lives of our children and pets.
The impact of the accident for the culprit is only one badly damaged BMW (for which the poor insurance company will have to compensate many thousands of rand), so in effect, zero consequence.
Why should innocent people have to suffer the ill effects of an accident that could so easily have been prevented, had the driver behaved responsibly and in a civilized manner? And why should this scumbag, who shows nothing but contempt for our lives and property be protected?
I do not believe that there is a hope in hell that the driver or his friend will start to behave responsibly: in most people, the part of the brain that controls judgment is fully developed at age 23. If these people, at their advanced middle age, have not yet managed to develop basic common sense – let alone respect for others! – it is unlikely to change during the remainder of their lives, and therefore the only way to change this appalling behaviour is by making the culprits suffer severe consequences if they behave in a socially (or legally) unacceptable manner.
More importantly, when will our traffic officials start to enforce adherence to the rules of the road? When will lawyers develop a conscience by prosecuting for the true implications of a crime instead of protecting injustice?
