Too high a price

Terrible things aren’t supposed to happen on beautiful fall mornings, but that’s just what occurred last Saturday (Oct. 21), when the lives of two fine young men were cut short in a terrible car accident on West Sacramento Avenue. When news of Collin Sweeney’s and Allan Fleming’s deaths arrived, the hearts of people all over town went out to their families. Suddenly fall’s colors and the sparkling sky seemed like an affront, as if the earth had no right to be so lovely when people were suffering so.

As all parents know, one of the most dangerous things their children will do is drive. They worry because they know how quickly the slightest mistake can turn into disaster. Combine inexperience with youthful exuberance—live fast, drive fast—and you have the No. 1 killer of teenagers.

More than 40,000 people die every year on America’s roads—part of the high price we pay for our automobile culture. That’s something else to think about as we consider how to deal with our reliance on foreign oil.