I don't believe that enforcement alone is going to solve the
problem or people refusing to live up to their responsibilities as road
users. A lot of what the rules of the road provide is safety cushion;
humans make honest mistakes from time to time, and when they do it is
the safety cushion that prevents a tragedy. More and more though, I am
noticing that the safety cushion is being ignored - in ways ranging from
following too close, speeding, inattentive driving, trying to beat
traffic lights, failing to make that all important second stop at an
intersection with an obstructed view, and running stop signs and red
lights. I believe it is simply a matter of people thinking they know
better than the experts that created the traffic laws about how to be a
safe road user - and from there all the bad habits that become automatic
arise.
80% of motorists believe they are above average drivers - yet the
statistics of human nature suggests that at most 50% are. Every time I
read the driver's manual, I learn something I had not known/remembered.
I would love to find a way to motivate everyone to do that.
I heard from neighborhood residents that the FedEx Truck Driver
involved in the crash at Milwaukee and Marquette had to be taken away in
an ambulance because he was so shaken by the incident. If there was
some way to get every road user to imagine how they would feel if they
had been that truck driver that would be a powerful incentive for
everyone to crack open the drivers manual and re-learn how to add some
safety cushion back into their driving habits.
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