I hear tell seat belt use by motorists has decreased for the second year in a row. Fewer and fewer people, it seems, think they’re necessary.
At the same time, there have been reports of the largest number of whooping cough cases ever. Much of the trouble, authorities say, is the result of a drop in number of people getting properly vaccinated.
So why have returned to our devil may care attitude to warnings that likely will save our lives?
So this reminded me of an editorial I published several years ago:
Not long ago and not far away, I attended a seminar on traffic safety put together by the Michigan State Police. After his interesting speech, I had the chance to ask the trooper for his candid opinions about the causes of fatal traffic crashes.
I asked the trooper how we collectively in society could minimize the number of fatal crashes, that recently have increased again after a period of declines. He told me there are four fatal crash causes that could be avoided easily by motorists if they just had the will and the motivation:
• Drinking and driving.
If only people would follow the old saying I heard more than 60 years ago — “if you drive don’t drink, if you drink don’t drive.”
But that might hurt the economic bottom lines of bars and special events that serve up the horizontal lubricant.
It wasn’t until recent years that news media stories about fatal traffic crashes included information about whether alcohol was involved in the incident. It was long overdue.
• Use of seat belts.
I too often have read or heard stories about fatal crash victims who were thrown from their vehicles. And, of course, there are many other instances in which such victims could have survived if they had just “clicked it.”
• Speeding.
This one is all too common, and it’s really difficult for cops to catch motorists with lead feet. It seems when you drive five miles per hour over the posted speed limit, you’re the slowpoke on the freeway.
Is there such a thing as a good excuse for speeding?
I can remember a woman riding on the back of motorcycle going 110 explaining in a text, “It’s in God’s hands now!”
I also remember the tale of a colleague who bragged that when he learned his toddler son was in the hospital he ignored almost all stop signs and drove like a bat out of hell. Yet his presence at the hospital wasn’t really necessary.
• Distracted driving.
This one has climbed the charts for traffic crash reasons over the past decades because of the massive use of cell phones while operating a vehicle. It’s gotten so bad I’ve seen bumper stickers shouting, “Hang up and drive!” Of course, some of the worst offenders engage in texting while driving.
A much quieter distracted driving offender is the proliferation of billboards along the highways. They are put there on purpose to get you to notice them. Even while you should be paying attention instead to what’s happening on the road.
There’s probably no way any legislator will agree to taking down some billboards. That would be restraining commerce, even though it may save human lives.
Kinda reminds me of the local legislators who went to bat for a restaurant owner who didn’t enforce mask mandates during the Covid pandemic.
So if we, and I mean we, citizens could bring ourselves not to speed, not to drink and drive, be vigilant about using seat belts and avoid distractions, the trooper agreed with my suggested conclusion that the number of traffic fatalities would decrease significantly.
In all four of these cases, the choice is ours. But we’d have less freedom, to go and die.
