It’s pretty well documented that life can be fraught with dangers. Much of it wrong-place, wrong-time happenstance. A fateful flight, a tragic encounter.
But then there are the fate-tempting occurrences we read about all the time. About those who create mayhem on the roads by texting while driving. About those who somehow manage to be part of an accident involving a train. About those who must have a pet python.
And then there is the disturbing trend of those — often teenagers — who can’t confine themselves and their all-terrain vehicles to off-road venues. For what it’s worth, Florida law formally prohibits their use on paved roads. Statistically, approximately 10,000 people have died in ATV accidents in the U.S. since 1982. One in four victims was under the age of 16.
Back in July, two Dade City teens died when their ATV collided with a SUV on a paved road near Sumter County. Most recently four Hudson youths, ages 12 to 16, were seriously injured when their ATV, a single-rider Honda Sports Trac, collided with a pickup on a paved road in Pasco County.
One detail in particular transcends the modus operandi of ATV riders behaving badly — and endangering themselves and others. The Hudson kids — ages 12, 13, 15 and 16 — were badly hurt at 2 a.m. And as we well know, nothing good happens at 2 a.m. — especially to kids. That’s on somebody else’s conscience.