The most shocking thing I've seen for a while was published on the Internet yesterday. It was a video released by the Norfolk and Suffolk Constabulary, with the approval of the family, as part of a hard hitting road safety campaign. The crash lasts only seconds but clearly illustrates the deadly effect of combining speed on the part of the rider and driving without due care and attention on the part of the car driver. The fact that the rider was wearing a helmet cam allowed the world to see his death, which is a rather morbid thought. It allows us the benefit of hindsight not available to the rider and I can understand why the police have released it as a lesson to all of us road users. It was a very brave move on the part of the rider's parents and they should be applauded for having the strength of mind to allow their son's fatal crash footage to be used in such a manner. Shame on anyone posting silly YouTube comments on copies of the footage and arguing about who was to blame: have some respect you people!
At the moment of realisation, the rider can be heard shouting "No!" and this is the saddest and most shocking part of the clip for me. It makes me appreciate that life and death can be divided by the simplest of things and being human we are all very close to the line every day. The road is a dangerous place and we don't have the control over it our routine daily life allows us to presume. Seconds before the realisation, the rider and driver were both unaware of how their lives were to be forever changed by both of their road decisions. I try to drive in a cautious, defensive way but all too often I see drivers and riders showing no heed for safety. It worries me that my own children will one day be regular road users.
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