We are all going to die. Yeah, I know, what a great way to start a column.

But the truth is we are. And when it happens to me, I don’t want it to be because of the stupidity of someone else.

In the spirit of transparency let me say I have a checkered driving past. But on only one occasion has one of my lapses caused an injury to someone else and it was slight.

I drive a lot. I see people speeding, driving at dark without their lights on, failing to use blinkers and driving too close to the vehicle in front of them.

Utter stupidity.

I have written about some of this before, so what, you may ask, has prompted another chapter of outrage on my part?

Monday afternoon I was driving my daughter to Nashville. It was a beautiful day with a clear sky and dry roads. What should have been a pleasant drive turned out to be a nightmare.

As we neared the Christiana school zone traffic backed up on Highway 231. When we got closer we noticed a car was being pulled out of the a ditch between the two sides of the four-lane road. I suspect the driver was going too fast and failed to realize he or she was entering the school zone. I guess they decided to take the culvert instead of crashing into a school bus or another vehicle.

We eventually made it to Interstate 24 heading west. On the east side of the interstate there was a multi-car wreck which had people on my side of the road slowing down to rubber neck.

As we approached the Harding Place exit we once again found ourselves in bumper-to-bumper traffic. A driver had hit the rear of the car in front of him blocking the right lane of the interstate and spreading glass and other debris across the other lanes.

To make matters worse the signs on the interstate that warn of delays flashed a message there as another accident three miles down the road.

These were not treacherous stretches of highways in any of these cases. Someone simply lost their concentration and caused an injury to themselves or someone else or both.

The situation appears to be getting worse instead of better, especially the use of excessive speed. A few months ago I was sitting at the red light on the outskirts of Green Hills when a car came racing down the hill. Had it not been for an empty lane beside me the driver would have collided with me or another driver.

What are people thinking? No, the real question is why aren’t people thinking?

If there are going to be posted speed limits, then let’s enforce them. Everyone has been guilty of cheating by an extra five miles, but the interstates have become a proving ground of NASCAR wannabees.

We are all busy. We all have places to be and have things to do. Let’s make sure we all arrive safely. Leave your stupidity at home.