dutch , do you consider it an " idealist attitude " to expect that one should be able to engage in an activity which is widely accepted as commonplace , practiced by untold millions worldwide and sanctioned by law , without fear of personal injury or death ? not in the world i live in , and i hope you don't either .
it might an " idealist attitude " to expect that we might one day not have repeat offender career criminals taking the lives of innocent people just because they want to drive a car while they don't have the capacity to do so safely .
i understand " risk " , and accept it as a daily part of life , but that is vastly different from an expectation that something bad will happen whenever i set foot out my door .
i feel for the guy . he had a shitty upbringing but that doesn't give him the right to take the lives of others just because he wants to be a good guy and drive his buddy back to his rez 120 km away over a challenging mountain highway while he is pissed drunk .
i'm waiting for him to be charged so we can find out who he is , and his community can be collectively embarassed by his actions . let's hope they respond appropriately .
btw dutch , you make reference to car " accidents " . . . in my opinion this wasn't an " accident " in the common " it just happened " sense . this tragic occurrence was the predictable outcome of a long string of events .