I'm around the same age as these guys, and I also grew up in Southern California. The final line, "It doesn't matter. I'll probably get hit by a car anyway." is definitely not about committing suicide. It's a throwaway line about the randomness and risks of life. So Cal has a "car culture" (c.f. "Nobody Walks in L.A."). Pedestrians have to watch out! We were also living in the shadow of a possible nuclear war, but choosing something as mundane as getting hit by a car expresses it better.
I'm around the same age as these guys, and I also grew up in Southern California. The final line, "It doesn't matter. I'll probably get hit by a car anyway." is definitely not about committing suicide. It's a throwaway line about the randomness and risks of life. So Cal has a "car culture" (c.f. "Nobody Walks in L.A."). Pedestrians have to watch out! We were also living in the shadow of a possible nuclear war, but choosing something as mundane as getting hit by a car expresses it better.
[Edit: typo]