Dozens of teenagers who hit the gas instead of the brake headed north on Canal Street never envision crashing into a tree at the end of the street.

They don’t think about weeks in a hospital bed, blood or broken bones.

Death doesn’t cross their minds.

They don’t think, period, you could argue, until unfortunate circumstances force the issue, that is.

In life, we sometimes have to make mistakes to learn from them.

Lately, our community has been learning from the mistake of the teenage driver who apparently crossed the former railroad bed on Canal Street too fast, seriously injuring himself and his friends.

Now, cars are traveling more slowly across the hump, at least for a little while anyway.

The city is talking about solutions.

And area teens are thinking.

The long-term solution to a decades-old hump has yet to be ironed out.

In a perfect world, a sign to warn visitors would do the trick because locals would learn from the mistake at hand.

But it’s unlikely that the memories of this tragedy will last forever or ever carry the impact they have over the last week and a half.

So we are glad to see the city taking proactive measures. Flashing lights and rumble strips are an acceptable solution for now.

Continuing to find ways to eliminate the hump is a good idea.

Personally envisioning the consequences of our actions may be the only true answer.