Why Do People Do Foolhardy Things?

Today I saw a car trying to make an illegal U-turn at a section of the 3 lane road which had been chained off as accidents had occurred there before. Someone had cut the chain and this wise guy was trying to make a U-turn there. Cars were coming at high speed and I wondered how he was going to u-turn.

What prompted him to do this foolhardy thing? Was it to save on petrol? The legitimate U-turn was just a kilometer down the road. So how much money could he save?

Supposing he misjudged the distance and speed of the oncoming vehicles? He would definitely cause an accident of horrific proportion. Either he or the unfortunate driver of the other vehicle could sustain injuries severe enough to cause death or permanent damage to their bodies. Perhaps other vehicles may be involved too as the road has three lanes, all of which have traffic.

So to save perhaps one dollar’s worth of petrol, he incurs incalculable losses. What price can you put on a life or a maimed body? Should death occur, what of the emotional toll on the family members apart from the sum incurred for funeral expenses, etc? If he were lucky enough to emerge alive, what of the medical costs? What about his job? Would he be able to keep his job if his injuries warrant a long period of rehabilitation?

This is just one instance. A motor bike vroomed past us and he continued to tail gate the car in front of him. Didn’t he realize that if the motorist stopped suddenly, he would crash into the car? What would then happen to him? I shudder to think of the outcome.

So why do some people do these things? Do they think that they are invincible? Common sense should prevail instead of foolish dare devilry. One mistake could mean life-long misery. The tragedy is that innocent road users often have to pay the price for what these selfish pea-brained people do.

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