Just a “Horrible Accident?”

On Saturday, an off-road truck race in the Mojave Desert ended with 8 people killed and many injured.  See the details here.

Some of the statements that grabbed my attention:

– “You could touch (the racing vehicles) if you wanted to. It’s part of the excitement.  There’s always that risk factor, but you just don’t expect that it will happen to you.”

– There were no barriers at the site of the crash. Fans said these races rarely have any kind of safety guards.

– “That’s desert racing for you.  You’re at your own risk out here. You are in the middle of the desert. People were way too close and they should have known. You can’t really hold anyone at fault. It’s just a horrible, horrible accident.”

     This event was attended mainly by young adults in their teens and 20’s.  The feeling of invincibility is often prevalent with this age group.  At that age, we see all the cool and fun stuff, but don’t have the experience to fully understand the risks involved.  There is also the idea that “We’ve always done it like that,” so it must be OK, right?

Let me know your thoughts.