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date: 2024-03-16T16:32:28.371+01:00
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In 2008, I was [angry about a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article](https://twitter.com/gerwitz/status/846557264) that blamed a car, rather than driver, for a death.

16 years later, I tried to track down the broken URL and find their current headlines today are blaming cars for [crashing into buildings](https://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/arnold-car-crashes-into-apartments/article_4aa494d4-1057-52c5-9016-38d6a9fdd353.html) and [running over and dragging people](https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/woman-hiding-from-gunshots-in-the-grove-run-over-by-car-dragged-this-horrific-event/article_9bd57896-e095-11ee-919d-97e0d0e9dd99.html).

I still want to be annoyed at this phenomenon; as ascribing sin to our tools helps motorists evade responsibility. But maybe I should embrace that we're casting moral failings to "cars" so we might determine that they are evil and need to be banned from places with people.

EDIT: I recently redisovered [Erica C. Barnett's more articulate rant](https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2011/05/cars-dont-kill-people-people-do):
> Imagine how the headlines would be different if the man who broke the girl’s legs with his SUV had done so with his bare hands.
