Editorial: Everything can happen in a moment

We all make mistakes and some of them have pretty serious consequences. Photo / Thinkstock

No one wakes up thinking they're going to die that day.

But mistakes happen.

All it takes when driving is a second of inattention while you change the radio station or talk to the children in the back seat. Sometimes a quick glance to check the road is clear is too quick and cars seem to come out of nowhere.

Two people are fighting for their lives after a crash in Napier on Wednesday night. Another person was seriously injured.

A driver travelling north on Hawke's Bay Expressway went to turn right into Meeanee Quay, straight into the path of a southbound truck.

It is too soon to say what happened at the troublesome intersection.

We all make mistakes and some of them have pretty serious consequences.

Tanker driver Peter Griggs did not see an oncoming car before he pulled into an intersection last year. A mother driving her two children had no chance to stop in time. Fortunately all three survived.

Griggs' lawyer claims he did not see the car because a give-way sign was blocking his view.

This explanation does not wash with me. If something is blocking your view, surely you inch forward until you are happy that nothing is coming.

Griggs pleaded guilty, was disqualified from driving and paid the victim $2500 reparation.

The layout of the State Highway 2 and State Highway 50A intersection at Pakipaki has since been changed to a roundabout. I'm told that this was planned well before the crash.

There are a few tricky intersections in the region and while it would be great if we could upgrade them all, it is a long and costly process. What we can do now is change our behaviour. It is always best to err on the side of caution.