Final Word from Thursday, January 15, 2004
The highway death last week of businessman Josef Schneider has attracted unusual attention - perhaps more than any similar accident since Chair Ludvík Kalma of Škoda Auto hit a truck in 1996 while driving 160 km/h. Most of the blame in Schneider's death is being put on the bad road markers on the Pilsen bypass, but the reported 200 km/h speed of his Audi A8 and his use of alcohol were clearly major factors. People in big, expensive cars tend to think they own the road and are subject to different rules. The fact is, though, that at that speed no one can react in time to sudden occurrences on the road, esp. if he's been drinking. Dying for driving too fast is a punishment no one deserves. But if this accident and all the publicity surrounding it helps to get bigwigs to slow down and drive more safely, Schneider's death will at least serve a noble purpose. traffic driving bad