Paul Walker died in a fiery car crash. The driver, Roger Rodas, was a car designer and former race car driver. Both left behind children, Paul Walker a 15 year old, and the driver a 5 year old. Rumors are that they died while drag racing on a curvy road, but traffic cameras indicate they might have been alone. In any case, high speeds were involved.
As many of you know, Paul Walker starred in many of the Fast and Furious movies that show outrageous car chases, racing, and high speed driving. Do these movies encourage people, including Paul Walker himself, to take to dangerous driving themselves?
It’s the old question, do movies, TV shows and video games encourage others to try the same type of stunt, or at the very least, make high speed driving look safer than it is? I always hated the movies where a cop car would flip through the air several times and the people remove themselves dazed but unharmed. In real life, such situations are tragic. Most people do not realize that the only thing holding their car to the ground is four spots around six inches square. That’s right, the bottom of your tires. At high speeds, you get lift, which reduces the gravitational grip your car has on the road. If you add to that centripetal and centrifugal force and very little keeps your car under control.
They plan to continue the fast and furious series of films, along with all the other high speed movies.
I pray for the families and friends of Paul Walker and Roger Rodas that their grief may be borne and that it will not impact their lives more drastically than it must.
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- Paul Walker and his daughter Meadow
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- Paul Walker
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- The car after the accident. The fireball could be seen for miles around.
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- Roger Rodas in his racing suit
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- The car before the accident
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 
Both Walker and Rodas were seemingly skilled under ‘controlled circumstances’, i.e. movie sets and race tracks. It’s too bad they were under the impression that their skill translated to the real world.
People with responsibilities in the real world should know better. I pity their wives and children, but don’t expect me to mourn immature people who get themselves killed prematurely.
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