Held Prisoner in Hampton Roads

Tailgating . . .

. . . redux?

A driver with a history of seizures crashed through a reversable-lane gate and hit a woman head-on. Both drivers died.

The driver of the van saw the car coming the wrong way, steered into the Jersey wall and was just sideswiped. Frances Wilson, following behind the van, didn't have time to react, and was hit head on at a closing velocity of about 120 mph. She didn't have a chance.

I guess I can't call this tailgating, and I'm certainly not faulting Ms. Wilson. Unfortunately, she was following a large van, and had limited vision ahead. I guess the object lesson is that one needs to be able to see hundreds of yards ahead when travelling at speed.

I NEVER follow anything that blocks my view ahead. If I can't see around it, I either pass it or drop way back.

It reminds me of a time years ago when Mrs. B and I were leaving Peoria, IL. As we crossed the 4-lane Illinois river bridge, a driver passed us going the wrong way. He WAS in the right-hand lane and missed us, but both lanes were SUPPOSED to be going the other way. The last I saw of him, he was heading off the bridge onto the downtown freeway.

I feel so sorry for Ms. Wilson's family. She was doing nothing wrong, but still was taken out by someone else's carelessness.

The fragility of life is scary sometimes.