Ok, I got a Reckless Speeding ticket a while back. I’m not proud of it but, heck, gotta deal with it somehow, right? So I retained the services of a lawyer who told me that it would be beneficial if I took a Driver Improvement course. If I wanted to, I could take the online course, be tested and get my certificate stating that my behavior has been modified and I’ll be a good boy.

The course uses a javascript timer that counts down XX minutes before it activates a button so you can progress to the next page.  Oh, and the course is 8 hours long. I read the page and wait. And wait. And then press the ‘next button’. I repeat this process over and over again until I get to the quiz part.

Now, I can live with this. The only thing that struck me as strange and somewhat offensive was the following passage from the course:

 We can make a comparison with more recent events. Remember when the sniper or snipers were active in northern Virginia and the DC area? How many were killed? Thirteen or so? Of course that was thirteen or so too many. Here’s the comparison. On two consecutive weekends during the same time the snipers were active, FIFTEEN people died on Virginia roads. Perhaps you recall how much more preoccupied we were about the 13 sniper victims than we were about the 15 traffic crash victims. In fact there is a high probability that you never knew about the 15 who died on the roads. Why are 13 deaths considered to be more of a tragedy than 15 deaths??

I know what they’re trying to say. I also know the context which they are using the sniper shootings as an example. HOWEVER, I find it somewhat tasteless that they’re comparing apples to oranges. After reading that passage I was a little rattled.

Grrrr. Ok, 5:15am and I need to start my course again. I’m on section 4 of 11. Ugh.