Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Helpless Criminals
There's something so backwards about this.
In the Calgary Herald today, there's a story about people recklessly driving their cars on Alberta roads. Other people on the road, afraid, called the police to complain. The RCMP caught drivers with cars matching the descriptions from the complaints. No one has been charged.
The fact they haven't been charged is surprising since all the cars were very unusual cars: Ferrari and Lamborghini. There are only so many people with these cars, because you have to be both rich enough and stupid enough to buy one. I'm not a lawyer, or a police officer, so maybe I'm missing something needed to press charges.
But I am a reader, and in this case of a reckless, criminal act, the sad part is the way it was reported. Driving.ca and the Calgary Herald have an image taken from a Lamborghini marketing handout with the line below: "With cars this gorgeous, who wouldn't feel tempted to open them up!" Actual marketing content! The Edmonton Sun describes the criminals as "drivers of some hot, luxury sports cars". Hot ... Luxury ... These writers are going to need new keyboards from all the drool they just generated. Focus!
In the Calgary Herald today, there's a story about people recklessly driving their cars on Alberta roads. Other people on the road, afraid, called the police to complain. The RCMP caught drivers with cars matching the descriptions from the complaints. No one has been charged.
The fact they haven't been charged is surprising since all the cars were very unusual cars: Ferrari and Lamborghini. There are only so many people with these cars, because you have to be both rich enough and stupid enough to buy one. I'm not a lawyer, or a police officer, so maybe I'm missing something needed to press charges.
But I am a reader, and in this case of a reckless, criminal act, the sad part is the way it was reported. Driving.ca and the Calgary Herald have an image taken from a Lamborghini marketing handout with the line below: "With cars this gorgeous, who wouldn't feel tempted to open them up!" Actual marketing content! The Edmonton Sun describes the criminals as "drivers of some hot, luxury sports cars". Hot ... Luxury ... These writers are going to need new keyboards from all the drool they just generated. Focus!
Labels: bad drivers, news media
Darren J 8/14/2007 06:05:00 p.m.
2 Comments:
So, the police aren't doing anything about it?
And you're surprised?
As far as I'm concerned, the fact that we have such a prevalence of inconsiderate/rude/aggressive and downright dangerous drivers is a result of police allowing people to get away with it for so long.
Now people have taken their 'me only' driving attitude (at whatever speed they damn well please) to just about every residential road. And this includes all the mom's in their minivans with their kids to/from school. It's crazy.
If people are allowed to travel above the limit of freeways, then they just continue to do so on every other road ... and in parking lots!
It's the police that need to be held to account first, for allowing this new 'norm' to develop.
David.
And you're surprised?
As far as I'm concerned, the fact that we have such a prevalence of inconsiderate/rude/aggressive and downright dangerous drivers is a result of police allowing people to get away with it for so long.
Now people have taken their 'me only' driving attitude (at whatever speed they damn well please) to just about every residential road. And this includes all the mom's in their minivans with their kids to/from school. It's crazy.
If people are allowed to travel above the limit of freeways, then they just continue to do so on every other road ... and in parking lots!
It's the police that need to be held to account first, for allowing this new 'norm' to develop.
David.
In a perfect world......
There would be a ban on car/truck/van advertising, as there currently is for cigarette advertising.
It may seem trivial at first glance, but if you remove people's exposure to all the hype around cars, they might just start seeing how financially silly car ownership is.
There would be a ban on car/truck/van advertising, as there currently is for cigarette advertising.
It may seem trivial at first glance, but if you remove people's exposure to all the hype around cars, they might just start seeing how financially silly car ownership is.