Editor's Note

Hi Everyone,

On the front page this week you will see faces of people that have tragically lost their lives on our region’s roads in the last 12 months.

Every person you see was very special, they had loved ones whose lives will never be the same again and futures that will now remain untold.

We chose to put their faces up on the front page of the paper this week as a reminder to everyone in the community to be careful each time we get into our vehicles.

Driving is often a bit like walking – we jump in the car and run on auto-pilot – accelerating, braking, and turning is all done without us really realising what we are doing.

Meanwhile we are planning our days in our head, daydreaming about future holidays and assuming we will inevitably arrive at our destination.

I can put my hand up and say that I am a car-driving daydreamer; I will pass friends waving at me enthusiastically and not even notice they’re there, I will travel for long periods without remembering anything about how I got there.

The tragic events on the roads recently have reminded me not only about how fragile life is and how quickly it could all be taken away, but also that it is vitally important to pay attention when driving.

One mistake, one lapse in concentration, one chance over-take gone wrong, and any one of us could be the reason our own loved ones are crying that night.

Let’s pay attention to our own driving but also look out for others, check they are ok to drive and never take unnecessary risks with our own driving.

My own uncle died in a head-on collision with a truck when he was on his way to play golf one morning, he was only 27 years old.

The truck driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and this one lapse meant that my uncle’s two young children grew up without their father.

Rach

Quote of the Week: “The most precious jewels are not made of stone, but of flesh” (Robert Ludlum)

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