
Veteran developer Steve Lacey (Google, Microsoft) Killed in Auto Accident - msredmond
http://www.loopinsight.com/2011/07/25/veteran-developer-steve-lacey-killed-in-driving-incident/
======
quizbiz
Tragic. Just a few days ago, he celebrated his tenth wedding anniversary...
[https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573/posts/LJ1Z2Bvh...](https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573/posts/LJ1Z2BvhXCt)

~~~
todayiamme
It makes me realise that life can end in seconds, and I did nothing to cherish
it and my loved ones today.

~~~
Hisoka
Me neither. I was very complacent too and complained about lots of things
today. Ah well, I can start tomorrow...

------
rhizome
disaggregated: [http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-
Kirkl...](http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkland-
crash-126093229.html)

~~~
kenjackson
Given the high rate of deaths on the road, the fact that we still don't take
wreckless driving very seriously is frustrating.

Accidents happen, but deaths due to _aggressive_ driving should be treated
like someone aggressively using a firearm in a populated area.

~~~
nplusone
That is exactly what cars are. They are weapons loaded with ammunition and
ready to be fired. It baffles me that many people don't seem to be aware of
this material reality.

~~~
jrockway
Familiarity. "Hmm, I've spent thousands of hours driving carelessly and
haven't killed anyone. Why start being careful now? It'll just make me late to
my meeting."

(As a cyclist, I think people drive a lot better than they are made out to,
however. I can't think of any time anyone's endangered my life.)

~~~
sliverstorm
You are probably a pretty good cyclist then. As best I can tell, cyclist's
opinions of me as a driver tend to be directly correlated to how far into my
lane they ride.

The ones that ride smack-dab in the middle of the lane on a 2-lane highway can
be counted on to shake their fist at you any time you don't use the entire
other lane for passing.

~~~
luchak
_As best I can tell, cyclist's opinions of me as a driver tend to be directly
correlated to how far into my lane they ride._

If there are parked cars, you have to move into the lane or risk getting
doored. Near intersections, you have to move into the lane or people will cut
you off and turn right in front of you when you're going straight. If the road
has no shoulder, you have to move into the lane to dissuade people from
running you off the road by trying to pass with insufficient space (and to
give yourself some margin in case someone tries). The same holds if the
shoulder is full of debris. If you're descending a hill, you have to move into
the lane so you can maneuver around turns.

Any safe cyclist will spend some time taking a lane of traffic.

~~~
sliverstorm
In reply to all three of you, I know a cyclist can take a lane. I was mostly
referring to the ones that half-pretend to be riding on the shoulder, not
taking a lane but not doing a good job staying out of the lane. I liken it to
a car using 2 lanes, which is just as frustrating.

When it comes to 2-lane highways, I realize I am a little biased but I expect
some co-operation on the part of cyclists. It doesn't have to all be about
"me-me-me", but I expect cyclists to work with me to allow me to pass safely,
same as I do for cars when _I'm_ cycling on a 2-lane highway.

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amichail
It's time to have mandatory computer controlled cars.

Driving manually should be illegal unless done on a race track.

~~~
imajes
Why? Plenty of people are able to drive a vehicle, and drive it well. It's the
many who aren't, or choose to ignore the rules who are causing danger.

The "every vehicle should be automated" line is lowest common denominator FUD.

How about we start by actually applying a proper, rigorous upgrade to the new
driver education from the DMV, and stop treating driving as a right, and
instead a privilege?

How about we improve mass transit and spend more money fixing roads (which is
a bigger cause of accidents than you might imagine).

What about Signage, which is over abundant and people ignore - or important
signage which is entirely missing (many median lines are faded away - not
repainted due to lack of funding)?

And what about the culture where drinking and driving is, in many states,
acceptable? Why isn't there a dramatic and meaningful campaign to demonstrate
that there is really only zero-tolerance to drink-driving that is acceptable?

The United States approach to driving is embarrassing and smacks of largesse,
but for much of the country, where there is an abundance of space and empty
roads, is tolerated.

Accidents happen routinely in city centers and suburban areas where the laws
and driving regulations are not more stricter, but often just as (if not more)
relaxed.

There isn't consideration given to heavy traffic, patterns of driving,
preparing for exits - it's just expected that as long as you know how to steer
and stop at a sign, you are qualified to drive.

Computer controlled cars is a stupid argument (mostly because they are almost
already there, in the full part, and certainly the car you are driving is
doing more work than you are to get you to your destination). Never mind the
fact that the better answer is amazing and undeniable mass transit, obviating
the need for personal car ownership in densely populated areas, and a 2-3
magnitude leap in driver education to prevent such stupidity on the roads as a
basic requirement to even begin to address this problem.

~~~
abduhl
_And what about the culture where drinking and driving is, in many states,
acceptable? Why isn't there a dramatic and meaningful campaign to demonstrate
that there is really only zero-tolerance to drink-driving that is acceptable?_

States have been cracking down on drunk driving for the past decade or two. If
there ever was a culture where drinking and driving was "acceptable" on a
state level it has long since disappeared.

If you don't mind me asking, where do you currently live (you're clearly from
the Queen's domain) and, if it isn't in the US, how did you get this idea that
the US doesn't take drinking and driving seriously?

~~~
imajes
Oh. and one more point.

There was an attempt to broadcast a drink driving psa in the US, which was
filmed in the style of a UK drink-drive campaign advert.

It was banned. No network was willing to show it, and went so far as to get
the FCC to ban it as it would scare people.

How is that in any way a serious attitude to drink driving?

If you haven't seen them, here are a few interesting PSAs from the uk. They
are shocking, disturbing - horrible. But they work.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQtTREndJKk> \- drink driving
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iqCcMDByLA> \- using your phone
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm8yyl9ROEM> \- speed (a classic)

from ireland: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om9qq2d4DRk> \- drinking
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzvzqaicMz0&NR=1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzvzqaicMz0&NR=1)
\- seatbelts

from australia: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8QxZJZfU5Q> \- speeding/mixed

And for comparison, this one won an emmy as a PSA from tennessee:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miqGOGv7QPs>

Seriously?

~~~
darklajid
Look at my other post in this threads to see where I'm coming from, but - I
don't think these things work well. Probably statistics prove me wrong. On the
other hand, statistics prove me wrong every time I complain about Harry
Potter.

Is a morbid/overly scary scene really going to reach the people that are (for
all I know) most vulnerable to 'drink driving' (Never heard that combination
before, not a native speaker, copying here)? I'd set a good bet on 'no way'.
It's either 'stupid' (You know.. You can do it better. You are a GOOD driver)
or 'lecturing' (Thank you. YES, I know that it is bad. YES, I will be
careful).

In Germany we used to have things like that for speeding. You're on a street
without speed limit, but the road sign shows a lone guy, looking at a black
framed picture of his family, subtitled 'Don't go too fast' or something.

I failed to see any reaction among the people that passed by to that and I
know that I don't like trying to play with emotions/wasn't vulnerable to these
things. Still, we have thousands of those, in wild varieties (small girls
without her parents seem to be the rage right now).

~~~
imajes
In the uk at least, there was a large amount of misinformation and bad
knowledge about the real effects, what happens at one drink/two drinks, etc.
It's also a case of- it's so horrific, that unless it happens to affect you
directly, you tend to ignore it- it's too much to take in.

I think these campaigns were incredibly effective at reminding everyone that
zero-tolerance is the only safe option, and that the results are catastrophic.

Remember, it's as much about reminding normal/decent people to take their more
vulnerable friend's keys away from them before they do something stupid. Peer
pressure is a strong motivator not to do it again. :)

------
free
Googler or not, it is sad to see a life being taken away that could have been
avoided. It bothers me no end that by just following basic rules and safety
mechanisms, so many lives could be saved, but we still hear the same tragic
stories day in and day out. I've been surrounded with tragic news of accidents
last week and also bothered that I might be a victim with no fault of mine.

~~~
wushupork
What's also sad is if it wasn't Steve Lacey or somebody in the industry this
article would have probably been flagged and buried.

I too am bothered by the fact that I can be the best driver and never get into
an accident only to be killed by some fool who never should be in a car in the
first place.

------
ChristianMarks
From the article:

    
    
      Lacey was apparently the victim of road rage, and not the 
      intended victim, either. An imbecile (that authorities 
      believe had been drinking) smashed into him in pursuit of 
      another car. 
    

If I were a journalist, I would not be employing terms like "imbecile"--
especially not to refer to someone capable of road rage.

~~~
keiferski
It's poor professionalism and poor writing, not poor self-preservation. I
doubt that the writer is putting himself in danger by calling someone an
imbecile.

~~~
ChristianMarks
It's all of those, of course. An egregious word choice could very well
endanger a writer's career.

------
vaksel
what kind of car was he driving?

I know it says BMW...but I can't really imagine getting killed by a car that's
already slowed down enough due to rolling. Unless it was a convertible, then I
can somewhat see it...but even then it's kinda hard to imagine as well

~~~
chaz
M3 Convertible. [http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-
Kirkl...](http://www.king5.com/news/Road-rage-suspected-in-fatal-Kirkland-
crash-126093229.html)

~~~
RomP
Actually, it's M3 _Coupe_: the roof has been cut off by the emergency crew.
You can see the bottom parts of the C-pillars in the video on king5.com

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ltamake
That's awful. RIP. :(

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mkramlich
It's quite possible that the drunk who killed Steve Lacey may end up serving
less jail time than Aaron Schwartz will for running a mass file download
script. Perspectives on our law: mind blown, consistently.

------
ahmetalpbalkan
RIP. Here's his Google+ page. <https://plus.google.com/108067740959569006573>

_old programmers never die, they just recurse._

~~~
xigit
I just found his G+ page yesterday and add him to one of my G+ circle. So this
news really surprise me.

My condolences to his family.

------
Hisoka
Life is unfair. Unfortunately, there's not much you can say when these things
happen. You just have to remember that any day can be your last, that you
can't live life with any regrets. As for his wife, it'll take time to recover
from this. Death is a part of life. It'll happen to everyone of us eventually.

------
sliverstorm
Oh good, another rager _in an SUV_. Why is it always an SUV?

~~~
sipior
Because the guy driving a compact is under no illusions regarding his odds of
surviving a crash :-)

~~~
tomjen3
Actually given how safe modern cars are, you are quite likely to survive some
pretty serious crashes.

~~~
sipior
That's true. You'll forgive me if I drive as though it wasn't ;-)

