Those are good points, Arthur, but
a) we both know that few people will actually follow the advice to pull
over and stop. That should be clear just by looking around at drivers. More
are chatting than aren't these days.
b) The emergency breakdown lanes on limited access highways should be used
for emergencies. Finding out whether this is a bad time to be driving is
not an emergency situation. Therefore, pulling over and stopping in order
to find out what the traffic is like ahead of one is detrimental to the
safety of everyone.
chuck
At 03:17 PM 1/22/2007, Arthur wrote:
Hopefully people would call 511 to check on road conditions from home or
the office before they left on their trip. You can check road
conditions now on the internet, as mentioned in the article. Actually,
promotion of the 511 info number would a good opportunity to also
promote not using a cell phone while driving. Here's a potential radio
ad for 511 "Want to know if there's a traffic is backed up on your way
to (whatever event or destination you want to put here)? Just call 511.
If you're driving, pull over and stop before using your cell phone.
This message brought to you by Wisconsin DOT." Maybe BFW wants to bring
this to WisDOT's attention/make this suggestion to them?
Arthur
Arthur Ross, Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator
City of Madison Traffic Engineering Division
215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 100
PO Box 2986
Madison, WI 53701-2986
608/266-6225
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Original email:
I saw in todays WSJ that WisDOT wants the PSC to give them exclusive rights
to "511" calls so that drivers can find out about road construction, and
even "restaurants nearby."
Excuse me? Why is WisDOT encouraging drivers to distract themselves with
cell phones, when everyone from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration to the New England Journal of Medicine to "Click and Clack"
have reported that the use of cell phones (yes, even "hands free cell
phones") result in the same increased incidence of crashes as driving while
intoxicated?
From their own website: "Protecting your safety and consumer interests is
an integral part of the mission of the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation."
Yet apparently safety is not as integral to their mission as providing
driver's with information such as what restaurants are nearby (though I
suppose that's very beneficial to drivers who cannot read the signs at
every exit telling them what Food Gas and Lodging are nearby. wait a
minute, if a driver can't read those signs, should they really be driving?)
oh I give up...
chuck
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