Well, that's one perception.  I realize that as soon as I get behind a
wheel and leave my driveway, I am taking risks that others may not drive
with skill while sober, and that some of them will be drunk or dead
tired.  That said, I personally feel a responsibility to others not to
be drunk or dead tired, because the father I may kill has
responsibilities, too (substitute whatever family member you wish).
Have I driven while dead tired?  Yes.  Did I have a choice?  Yes.  Have
I grown up enough to know better and not do it now?  Yes.

David

On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 7:22 AM, David Beierl wrote:

> At 07:27 PM 11/12/2009, Jonathan Poole wrote:
>> Although it is unsafe I've pulled the driver rotation off in westy's
>> by
>> letting folks sleep in the bed when they weren't driving which works
>> great.
>
> As Bob Stevens pointed out a while ago, taking responsibility for
> your own choices is the key to happiness in many areas of life,
> especially to a clean conscience.
>
> Sleeping in the bed of a Westy, or riding in/on "the back shelf"
> which my dad would install in our '52 Ford Tudor for traveling so
> that four or five children would ride prone above the two Springer
> spaniels and the cat, is undoubtedly much less risky than for an
> extreme example hang gliding, and at very least within an order of
> magnitude of the risk of being killed by a doctor or nurse, or
> even-steven if you believe some people's numbers.
>
> So weigh your risks deliberately, choose ones that seem worthwhile
> and mitigate them as much as reasonable, enjoy the
>
> resultsnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnqsxz
> -- oops, fell asleep -- and don't whinge and sue everyone in sight if
> your number comes up, because you've got no kick coming -- you
> volunteered.  And healthy or maimed, sleep easy at night and enjoy
> looking in the mirror.  I have to say that racing people of various
> stripe are a great deal better about this than the general populace.
>
> I do know there are social costs as well, but to me that's the burden
> that society must shoulder in order to avoid a certain numbness of
> experience.  As the Dirty Jobs man, Mike Rowe, said while crawling
> around in a three-foot-tall brine tank while wearing a mandatory and
> uncomfortable retrieval harness "I am *so* sick of getting hurt by
> safety!"
>
> Yours,
> D