Venting Keep suicide off the roads!

[Ash]

It seems to be silly season on the roads round my way at the moment and in the last week I've witnessed several near misses, the most recent of which involved me when someone decided to overtake me on a corner, only slamming on the brakes and changing their mind at the very last minute when they realised that another car was coming in the other direction.

Now, I'm on this forum. You're quite right in assuming that if the Grim Reaper pops up I'm not going to run away. But I want to be assured of a death, not a long stint on an overcrowded ward in an underfunded hospital in summer with nobody to look after my traumatised dog.

And I don't want to see someone else get injured or killed or live with lifelong trauma because of someone else's recklessness or carelessness or death wish.

When I saw that car pull out behind me this morning, I was terrified. I could see the oncoming vehicle. I knew the guy behind me was young and wearing a cap. I knew the chap ahead had grey hair and was wearing glasses. And I couldn't warn either of them. I couldn't slam on my brakes or accelerate or do anything to change the situation. And I don't have ambitions or family or friends or goals or plans or hopes and dreams. I can't imagine what gut wrenching terror someone must feel who has everything to live for.

There has been a lot of talk on here about using roads and traffic as a method of suicide.

This is just a plea from a road user and pro choice member of the forum to stop assuming that it's ok to use other people as unwitting pawns in our suicide plans. It's not.

(Edited to correct typos and grammatical errors)

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

Car accidents are a really scary and potentially life-ruining affair. I can't see why anyone would think that risking suicide via car (which is not guaranteed) and potentially involving other people in a collision is a good idea.

Even with ambulance shortages, fatalities from car accidents are quite low. What is far more likely is developing a permanent health condition or disability from the injuries that are sustained. I had my first and only car accident this year where I was nearly T-boned, the car I was driving was destroyed, and the impact was so hard it gave me whiplash. It was incredibly traumatizing especially if you're surrounded by screaming and shouting, other drivers or police getting hostile, forced to act quickly when you're frozen in fear, or god forbid extremely injured and physically cannot move.

Cinema and TV make it look like car fatalities are quick, easy, and over in a flash. That couldn't be further from the truth in most cases. The suffering can be long and protracted with no guarantee of what happens next- paralysis, spinal injuries, head injuries, brain death.. cars are more dangerous than they look. The road is a communal space where actions have knockdown consequences too, I don't see how anyone could consider a car crash as a method.

 

[lkjhgfdsa1]

stop assuming that it's ok to use other people as unwitting pawns in our suicide plans. It's not.

agreed.
when you go, go alone
no need to take others with you
everything is already traumatizing enough to yourself and the people around you