What can be done to reduce the number of accident cases?

UCANTCME

Donâ€™t speed
Stay alert and pay attention
Donâ€™t drive impaired
Use seat belts and other safety systems such as air bags and ABS brakes.

A federally mandated national speed governor setting that reflects the maximum safe driving speed on U.S. roads (Currently there is no limit to how fast cars can be made to go, so automakers are setting their speed governors at anywhere between 100 and 260 mph.)

A nationwide ban on the use of hand-held and hands-free cellular telephones while driving, as well as computers, pagers, PDAâ€™s, DVD players, and fax machines.

A commitment on the part of local, state and federal governments to allocate the necessary resources and adopt the necessary technologies for strict enforcement of speed limits, red lights, and stop signs.

Creation of a federally funded, year-round nationwide media campaign to discourage all forms of dangerous driving, including speeding, aggressive driving, distracted driving, drowsy driving, alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, age-impaired driving, operating a vehicle with faulty equipment, and unsafe towing practices.

A federal law requiring all new vehicles to be equipped with Event Data Recorders, like the black boxes on planes that provide documentation of a motorist's speed when involved in a crash, rather than requiring police to guess at this critical piece of data.

maralex_inc

Every task begins with a set of basics. Driving is one task that all of us (exceptions are so very few) tackle every day of our life and if you don't follow the very basics of proper driving you will have the terrifying 110+ dying on our roads every day. That is an equivalent of a regular plane going down every single day. US drivers are not required to complete any driving schools when they get their license and those who do use professional training - it is not adequate to properly prepare any driver for the road. That's the reason people do not even know what to do behind the wheel and how to drive properly.

There are three major basics for proper street and highway driving.

1. Have to hold the steering wheel with both hands at all times. Some say it is plain silly. Think about this - in most cases when a critical situation occurs, your steering reaction is the key to prevent a crash of your vehicle. When folks are not ready and do not have full control of the wheel they often overcorrect and cause violent spinouts leading to accidents. If you have your hands locked on the wheel and don't move them, you will also have much more precision and concistency during any steering maneuver. When I take one of my hands off, I can feel how much less control I have and my reaction times will at least double.

2. Always use turning signals, even when there are no cars in sight. Believe me, if there are no cars in your lanes, there could be a driver on the opposite site of the road or preparing to drive out onto the road that may cause a dangerous situation unless they knew what you are about to do. On the highway there is no excuse for not using them. What I watch happening on the freeway in this regard is awful and surprises me that we don't have any more fatalities than we already do.

3. Maintain your safety zone. This is not simply the zone for you to take action, it is also a space for other vehicles to maneuver on the roads. If we all kept proper distance, we would also reduce that terrible highway traffic when everybody tries to merge with no space between cars. The safety zone that I observe for most drivers is not nearly adequate enough for them to react in time. With all different tasks they are doing, any sudden stop or an accident will cause others to crash because they cannot react in 0.02 seconds that they leave for themselves.

This is just a good start. If these rules were followed, we would have a trmendous improvement in accidents. But it also takes correct attitude and good spirit to be a good driver, anger and competitiveness have no place on public roads. Driving is a rpivilege and everyone should respect all drivers on the road....also not the case, unfortunately.

Dimo J

Talk on a cell phone and drive, lose your license. Second DUI, lose your license. Second time caught speeding, lose your license. Any vehicle driven by an unlicensed driver to be confiscated. (don't lend or rent your vehicle to an unlicensed driver!) That should drop the accident rate by about 90%.

No possible "emergency" on your part gives you a right to endanger my life.

jetfan2

People needing to drive responsibly or get off the road and use public transportation. I don't mean for that to sound cynical, what I mean is how often are you driving and see the left and right lanes full of drivers passing each other back and forth? There are too many signs and too many speed changes as you drive through a few miles in any state or city, we are over-regulated because we have way too many drivers who feel that they are good drivers, but really do not know the rules of the drivers handbook. Too many drivers demand the right of way, right or wrong and there are way too many rude and aggressive drivers on our roads. Everyone is trying to be first and speed limits really are not followed causing too much breaking and most of our stop lights cause us to stop at every intersection. Not to mention those who either stop too close to the car in front of them or leave a car length or better in front of them.

Sue B

Stiff fines on cell phone users, if not being used for an emergency.

Raise the driving license issed to a higher age.
Higher hours behind the wheel before license is issued.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: