Despair is not strong enough

If the threat of killing yourself or your friends doesn't change your habits, it's hard to think that any hand-wringing advice will work its magic

Four teens have been charged after a pursuit on the Pacific Highway last night. Picture: Frank Redward

THE mental image of a car full of under-age teenagers on their phones filming their high speed police pursuit, which ended on road spikes on the Pacific Highway at Bom Bom south of Grafton, invokes despair.

And when you learn that in the same 24-hour period and on the same stretch of road police again used road spikes to stop a woman driving at 230km/h in the rain, you realise the concept of despair just doesn't cover it.

If the threat of killing yourself, your friends or innocent passers-by does not change your habits, it's hard to think that any hand-wringing advice will work its magic.

A witness to the capture of the teenagers on Saturday night said the car hit the road spikes so hard, flying rubber from the tyres damaged nearby police cars.

Police then had to smash the windows of the car to drag out the occupants, who seemed too preoccupied with their mobile phones to follow instructions.

These children - the youngest was 13, the eldest 16 - showed no signs of remorse or concern for the consequence of their actions.

It is truly frightening to think this group while hurtling down the highway, sometimes travelling on the wrong side of the road, were more concerned about their image on social media than the safety of themselves or others.

You can't give up on them. But what can you do?

Originally published as Despair is not strong enough