The 5:30 News

 By Bruce Shawkey

I've become more aware in the last months that the 5:30 news is more about titillating video footage than about actual news. Almost every broadcast has at least one story about a horrible car crash where people were either killed or seriously injured. It makes for great footage, especially if one or the other vehicles bursts into flames.

Every day, it's estimated there are 19,937 crashes where 118 people die, and more injured. That works out to 831 motor vehicle accidents each hour. Some are worse than others, involving fire, mangled metal, fire trucks, ambulances, and more. It makes for great video.

I'm tired of it. If there is one good thing about it, it makes me a little more vigilant to drive carefully, pay attention, and quit playing with my phone and other gadgets.

I am appalled at all these stories about self-driving cars. I actually saw a video of a woman asleep at the wheel while her car was driving itself at 60 miles per hour. Wake up people! (literally). You owe it to your fellow human beings to drive responsibly.

Self driving cars should be outlawed, in my opinion. But they are not. Supposedly, they are being "perfected." Sorry, I don't buy it. Ask any crossing guard who has witnessed a near miss of a "self-driving" car hitting a kid. 

And the same thing with plane crashes. Not necessarily commercial flights, but private aircraft. Pure  sensationalism. I realize broadcast news has to compete with the internet, but things are getting out of hand.

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