It's spring and the end of the confining harsh winter, and many of us can hardly wait to take a car ride out to the country, or across the country, on the first warm sunshiny day. But are you as scared as I am about the anarchy on the highways you see everywhere you go? It seems it's every man, woman and teenager for him and herself, driving without any regard for the safety of their fellow travelers. So before we head out, perhaps it is time we start asking the questions none of us wants to ask - or answer: What kind of people are driving 10, 20, and more miles over the posted speed limits? What kind of people are ignoring stop signs and red lights? What kind of people are cutting in front of you without a fare-thee-well, gesturing and snarling at you when you protest the threat they pose to your life and limb? What kind of people are talking on their cell phones while driving despite the new law against it, and worse, what kind of people are still sending and answering text messages, eating their lunch, putting on their makeup, driving drunk or drug impaired and slamming into one another with frightening frequency. Since judging others is frowned upon in this politically-correct era, are we just supposed to allow that it is simply a matter of good people doing thoughtless things?

I mentioned in an earlier column that my own daughter was killed by a hit and run driver. He was not a teenager on drugs; he's a thirty-nine year old man with 11 children of his own. His excuse for hitting her was that he was distracted by searching for his wallet on his way to the store. Sure, all kinds of distractions can happen to anyone - a sneeze, unruly children in the back seat, a glance at a map or GPS. But what kind of person leaves a vibrant, innocent, loving and beloved human being lying in the road, not knowing whether she was dead or alive, and what kind of person does not call 911? What kind of example are such people, or any of us, setting for our children?

Our children watch us every chance they get. They watch us to find out what they are supposed to do in this life. They come into the world strangers in a strange land and they learn how to be human and humane by observing the people closest to them, their parents and siblings. They learn to be responsible for their actions when they see us take responsibility for our actions. They learn to correct their own behavior and not blame others for their mistakes by watching us own up to our mistakes. They learn morality by observing our decisions and our actions. They absorb our behaviors. They will do as we do, not as we say.

How would they know that driving at breakneck speeds is wrong if their parents brag about "making good time?" How will they know the dangerous consequences of distraction if their parents answer the cell phone? Or read the map? How do we sensitize our children to the needs of others? How will they learn to care about other people? What kind of world will they be living in if they follow the worst of their parents' behaviors? How can they learn to respect themselves as the gateway to respecting others?