BEEP BEEP FUCK YOU

You know what needs to go away?

Among many, MANY other things that I'm not gonna get into here, may I humbly suggest: the reverse-beep on construction vehicles.

How many lives a year were we losing to backing-up construction vehicles before that fucking infernal beep was added to them? 3? 5? (and yes, I've spent a minute or two trying to find that number, and it DOES NOT FUCKING EXIST).

FUCK 'EM.

I live across the street from what is currently a construction site. I also work from home. All day, all summer, I have heard that beep for >70% of the hours between 7am-4pm. It is MADDENING. Between that and the cicadas, I've had the AC on 100% of the time since like May 1st, but now it's dropping into the 50's at night so I can't justify that shit anymore. And I want some outside air, goddammit.

But at this cost? To listen to the worst-pitched and timbred sound alive literally a few thousand times per day? A sound that penetrates closed windows, noise-cancelling headphones, the new Testament single at top volume?

It is a horrorshow.

If you work on a construction site, or are a pedestrian passing one, I'm sorry, but it should be ON YOU to be aware of where the gigantic killing block of ambulatory metal is, and particularly if it's coming in your direction. None of these fuckin' things move with any speed in reverse, you've got to be paying a spectacular LACK of attention to be caught outright by a Komatsu excavator suddenly being in bone-breaking distance of your one god-given body on this earth.

While I can't find any stats as to how many lives this global annoyance is allegedly saving (VERY FEW!), I can find studies that state that humans tune that fucker out in regards to its stated purpose (HEY! BIG FUCKIN' TRUCK COMING YOUR WAY! MOVE IT!) while also still suffering the OTHER negative effects of the constant beeping (loss of concentration, ambient irritation, general "cry wolf" effect to that particular noise). 

Like most things in our modern age, it's yet another case of Good Intentions turning into Whoops We've Managed to Just Make Everything a Little Worse Instead, Oopsie!, and I'll vote for the second coming of Pol Pot if he promises to outlaw the goddamned things.