Driving While Awake

Everyone has their own opinion of what constitutes reckless driving but on the interstate or other limited access highways, excess speed is not high on the list. I say that because only a tiny percent of the cars that I observe on those roads are driven at or below the posted speed limit. Yet many drivers believe that speed kills and hold in low regard people who drive faster than themselves; that is, those who exceed the posted speed limit more than they do.

A recent blog on the New York Times website, Want to drive 90 in Nevada? Buy a Pass, highlighted this issue and the readers’ comments corroborated my observations. The blogpost examined a Nevada gubernatorial candidate’s proposal to sell passes to drivers who wanted to drive at 90 miles per hour on Nevada highways. Without going into detail about the merits of that proposed system, I think that the concept has promise but it does not go far enough.

The vast majority of drivers do not take to the highways with the intention of scaring themselves witless. In other words, drivers are not going to drive so fast that fear is something that they must stifle in order to function. Therefore if higher speed limits are set, I don’t believe that we will see a large spike in the actual speed of cars on the highway. People tend to drive at speeds with which they are comfortable.

The Interstate Highway System was conceived during the Eisenhower administration. Highway’s were designed to enable trucks to be driven at 100 mph speeds during the era when the trucks and the huge cars of the day were fitted with narrow bias-ply tires, fade-prone drum brakes, slow responding power steering and weak, soft suspensions. Raising speed limits were considered in the early 1970s before the first oil crisis rocked the nation and 55 mph became a federal mandate, providing a bonanza for local and state law enforcement. Currently, here in the northeast where the posted speed limits never exceed 65 mph, many if not most drivers drive between 75 and 80 mph, well within the design range of the highways and the capabilities of modern cars and trucks.

Driving is a privilege, not a right. That much is clear even with the loose licensing and registration processes here in the United States. Unfortunately, the requirements for obtaining the privilege are set relatively low in order to satisfy the profit margins of the auto and petroleum industries. As a result, virtually everybody who reaches the age of maturity has obtained a drivers license, except perhaps in the public transportation mecca, New York City. However, another result is that the level of driver competence and skill is minimal at best.

My proposal is simple and straightforward. States should issue graduated drivers licenses much as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does for pilots. I suggest a Beginner license (level Z) for drivers, age 15 through 17 with passenger and night driving restrictions, a Basic license (level C) which is equivalent to the current license, an Intermediate license (level B) which would require more training and would allow drivers to add 15 mph to any posted limit above 55 mph and an Advanced license (A) which would require a driver to have still more training plus a special certification package – an inspection tag and transponder – for her or his vehicle. Level A drivers will be allowed to add 30 mph to any posted speed limit above 55 mph but the license would revert to a level B license in a car without the certification package. Progressive licensing and certification package fees would guarantee increased revenue for the state while increased training for all drivers – with an emphasis on lane discipline – would promote highway safety.

With his proposal, the Nevada politician placed his state’s potential revenue windfall above highway safety by catering to the fantasy of many drivers while requiring nothing more from them than money. Lost in the quest for votes is an opportunity for public discussion about the regulation of a major component of our way of life, one that kills too many citizens and maims too many more.

Cars are safer and more capable than they have ever been but the laws of physics have not been repealed. In the chain of decisions and events that lead to highway accidents, it is the driver that is the weak link. That is the only conclusion I can come up with as I drive on snowy days in my supposedly unmanageable rear-wheel-drive sedan and notice that most of the vehicles that have spun off the road are four-wheel-drive SUVs.

Advertisement

~ by glyphics1943 on September 19, 2010.