In-Ward Focused Citizens

or

Self Centered at All Cost

As you read in my April 22nd Blog, The Flower Child attended an Atlanta Braves Game Last Evening. A delightful Family Event.

As we traveled Georgia's Highways after the game the Flower Child turned on Radio - WSB 750 - Atlanta. We were informed in a late newscast that a Department of Transportation (DOT) was killed at Mile Marker 220 on Interstate -75 as he was positioning Warning Signs for a DOT Work Crew. My dear Readers, this is just one more senseless killing on the Highways and By-ways of Georgia.

I do not care if the driver of the Vehicle that did the killing was operating an SUV or a very small fuel efficient passenger car. I do not care if the driver was young or old. I do not care if the driver was or was not on a cell phone. I do not care to know the race of the driver that did the killing.

What I do know that somewhere in Georgia there is a Family that is in mourning because someone was not totally aware of what was going on at the time they approached Mile Marker 220 on Interstate 75. Yes, even though the accident scene had been cleared up, there were still two Mobile Television News Crews on the scene. Their Vans had their transmission equipment fully extended. I do not know what they were doing, except maybe gathering footage for a Newscast.

So my concern today is where is all the media coverage of these types of meaningless deaths? Do we have a daily body count on the evening news on something as mundane as the Traffic Deaths in Georgia? You and I know the answer. Here is an item that I gleaned from the Internet Website:

http://www.dot.state.ga.us/statistics/Documents/casi/2006_grpp_factsheet.pdf

Message from the Commissioner 1996-2003 CASI Report

"The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety is proud to present the Crash Analysis, Statistics &
Information (CASI) Notebook 1996-2003. DMVS developed the CASI Notebooks to provide
straightforward, easy to understand crash information. Each page or table can be used as a stand-alone
document and can be used for print dissemination. Some topics will be several pages long while other topics
will be a single page. Topics will include crashes, injuries and fatalities, trends, basic demographics on
population and licensed drivers, rural and urban roads, young drivers and other highway safety issues in
Georgia.
The magnitude of the problem is almost beyond belief. In Georgia over the past eight years there
have been 2,493,352 crashes involving 4,733,494 drivers. From 1996 to 2003 the total number of drivers,
passengers and pedestrians involved in crashes is an astounding 6,664,713. In 2003, 1,610 people were
killed in motor vehicle crashes in Georgia. On average each week 31 people died in motor vehicle crashes.
Although injuries have declined the number of people injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2003 would fill
Turner Field the home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team two times over.
The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety is committed to continuing to provide this vital information
in the coming years. We are developing cost-effective means of maintaining the high quality database this
information is based on and will continue to look for new ways of providing this information to highway
safety advocates and the people of Georgia."

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is shameful. Now step outside of your own box this day and consider that if we in Georgia are killing about 1610 people each year, how many are dying on the Interstates, Highways and Byways of the whole United States of America.

Again, I flash back to the Media Coverage!!!! Where is it?

Now quickly review with me this simple fact. Death is fatal. We hear of every death that happens to our Dedicated Warriors who are serving our Country and conducting operations in the War On Terrorism.

Of course, this is as it should be. These fine Young Women and Men have stepped up to the plate to defend the entire population of our Country. They even knew what the outcome could be for their volunteering to Serve the Rest of Us. Their deaths certainly deserve to be covered. They are Heroes, everyone of them.

Yet, how do you think the Family of the killed Georgia Department of Transportation Worker feels this Morning? He or She simply went to work last evening to support his loved ones. Today he or she is dead. All because we are so self centered or caught up in our busy lives to the point that we can not slow down for just a brief few miles as we careen through our lives. The ultimate self centered, inward focused person which seem to be in far too great abundance in our society today could certainly be considered as the cause of this untimely and also tragic death.

The Department of Transportation Worker in Georgia was hired to do a job. I am confident that he or she did not expect to be run down by a driver who may not have been focused on the task at hand. After all this incident at Mile Marker 220, Interstate 75 was in Georgia, not Iraq. The Warriors defending our Great Country did indeed Volunteer to serve our great nation. Just as millions of U. S. Citizens before them were drafted or even volunteered since 1975, so that we could enjoy our way of life.

This dead Georgia Department of Transportation Worker simply went to work in the Friendly State of Georgia on April 22, 2008 and today he or she is being mourned by Family, Friends and Co-Workers. It just does not seem fair.

So the next time you are in a Road Work Zone in your town, your county, your State or even your Nation, remember that the lives of these workers are also important to their respective families, just as the lives of our Nation's Warriors/Heroes are important to their respective families.