How Many More?

Ooo, another three word title, since I usually use two words, but I wanted to emphasize something. I have heard that phrase "how many more" to describe killings. How many more people will die with guns before we ban handguns? How many more people will die at the hands of drunk drivers before we crack down on them? The list could be endless. Even, how many more rap songs to we have to listen to before somebody stands up and says enough. It isn't music. But, I digress.

Yesterday, at 4:45pm, I was walking from the library to the mission for supper. That is when they serve it. So, I have to cross two roads to get to the block I need to be to get to the mission. The cross streets are Assembly and Hampton. I got across Assembly okay. It is the busier of the two streets with six lanes. Hampton has four lanes. So, I waited until the light turned green, and I had the walk sign before crossing Hampton. All of a sudden, a driver runs the red light on Hampton; barely missing the cars on Assembly; tires screeched; horns blared; and he missed me by a couple of feet. I stopped in the road and yelled at the driver, but he kept on going at the same speed. Had he been texting? Was he on the phone? Was he running from the cops? Your guess is as good as mine. But, the fact remains that he ran the light. I think someone called the cops, because I saw a police car with his lights and siren on speeding down Taylor Street, which is one block over, heading in the direction of where the driver was going. I can't tell you if the driver was a man or a woman, but I do know that there is no excuse for what the driver did.

Since I walk everywhere, I see a lot of things. One thing that I know is that pedestrians have the right of way, if the signs dictate it. I don't care how busy you are, or how big of a car you have. You have to obey the laws. But, the pedestrians need to watch out for the cars. It should be the other way around. Maybe, in some towns it is. But, in Columbia, many drivers think they own the road. How many more are going to run red lights before someone is seriously injured or killed? How many more?