Those Reckless Speed Demons

Have you ever watched police actions on YouTube? The police pursue drivers who weave in and out of lanes with reckless abandon while driving at top speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Sometimes, they hit cars being driven lawfully as they zip from lane to lane. If there is no open lane, they take to the shoulder or even grassy areas bordering the roadway – anything to stay ahead of the police.

The suspects oftentimes are young men with too much energy for their own good. They aren’t alone, though. Young women drivers who play this “game” show just as much lack of respect for the safety of themselves and others as the young men do.

Several points about these videos stand out:

First, it is a miracle that more of these drivers aren’t seriously injured or even killed. As mangled as their cars are after the police have forced them off the road or after they have lost control and flipped down an embankment, it seems impossible for anyone to have survived. Cars today must be built like tanks in order for these drivers to emerge unscathed, as they often do.

Having said that, let me say that the suspects aren’t the only ones who are injured. Sometimes, police officers are, too, such as an incident when a large pickup truck was thrown into the air and landed on top of a police car. The police officer in the car sustained serious injuries, which almost certainly ended his career. Most foolish of all is when these speed demons play the “game” with their own young children in the car. Can you believe it?

Second, many suspects seem to be trying to outrun the police just to have fun. So many times, after they are arrested, they continue their “game” by spinning yarn that no one, whether a trained police officer or a casual observer, possibly could believe. The giveaway is the inconsistencies in their stories as they proclaim their innocence and wonder why the police arrested them.

Not all suspects are doing it for fun. Some are found to be transporting illegal drugs. That begs the question: why wouldn’t they be the safest drivers on the road if they didn’t want the police to stop them and discover their cargo?

Third, is Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) the wisest way to stop these speed demons? The technique is a police tactic used to stop these drivers by causing them to spin out and come to a stop. Sometimes, the PIT causes the speeding car to flip and roll. Sometimes, the cars the police PIT are stolen cars. Do the police have the right to destroy a victim’s car? That is a question for the courts to decide.

Arguably, there aren’t many other ways to stop a car going more than a hundred miles per hour. It is a law of physics that, if you bring a moving object to a sudden stop, it isn’t going to sit there. It is going to spin around or fly through the air before it lands or otherwise reacts to the forces around it. Sometimes, these spinning and flying vehicles hit lawfully driven vehicles. At other times, they slam into trees and, yes, the police cars that are pursuing them.

Actions like these reflect how misguided people are in today’s world. In these extreme cases, it is almost as if the earth has shifted on its axis – and not in a favorable way. What can we do to resolve situations like this? Well, if we are parents, teachers, or even friends, we can teach young people to use common sense, respect authority, and obey the Ten Commandments. One cannot believe in “love thy neighbor as thyself,” “thou shalt not steal,” and “thou shalt not kill” and even think about participating in such reckless endangerment of human life and property.

The Ten Commandments are found twice in the Holy Bible, in the book of Exodus, chapter 20, verses 1-17, and in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 5, verses 4-21. Those books are in the Old Testament, meaning they are taught to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Added to that, other faiths learn the same tenets of right and wrong through their own teachings. Our Dear Heavenly Father has given His commandments to everyone, all around the world. Thanks be to God.