Running a red light is dangerous for everyone on the road. I drive in downtown Louisville every day and there isn’t one single day that goes by that I don’t witness a red light being run by a car that either isn’t paying attention or is in a hurry. Whether it is texting and driving or being late for work, to a majority of the population in Louisville, Kentucky a yellow light seems to mean to press the right foot hard on the accelerator. If you have a green light you had better check to make sure that the coast is clear in the other direction or you could be broad sided and find yourself an auto accident victim. People are in a hurry and they are disregarding this simple traffic control device more and more often.
A few years I was waiting at the corner of Muhammad Ali Blvd. and 5th Street to cross. The white walker began flashing and I took one step from the curb into the crosswalk. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something and jumped back. This was just in time to see a bus miss my nose by about six inches. Once I started breathing again I thanked God for sparing me and said a few choice words about the bus driver. My point is you should assume that there will be a car running a red light. Whether you are a pedestrian, bicyclist, riding a motorcycle or in a car you are in danger anytime you go through an intersection.
Napa Valley, California has installed cameras at several intersections and has been recording violations and issuing warnings by mail to the violators for the last 30 days. Starting this past Saturday violators are getting a ticket for $435 and photographic evidence that they ran a red light. This evidence includes a color photo of the driver, the license plate, the traffic light changing to red before they entered the intersection and a final picture of the car in the intersection. Although I can see some due process violations I believe that these cameras would have a deterrent effect on those thinking of pressing hard on the accelerator and attempting to beat the light. There are warnings of the existence of the cameras before the intersection. I believe these cameras will save lives. It will be interesting to see the statistics after ninety days to see if this is the case.
Maybe it is time for Louisville to think about buying cameras for some of the busier intersections. I believe it can do nothing but make our Kentucky roads safer and help prevent many tragic auto accidents.
Bus drivers, train conductors and street car operators are now banned from even carrying a cell phone while they are working and operating the mass transportation vehicle in the state of Massachusetts. This ban went into affect last Wednesday and is reported to be the toughest restrictions put into place by a mass transit agency. Penalties are a 30 day suspension with a recommendation of dismissal for anyone caught talking on a cell phone or texting. I t is a 10 day suspension if you are caught with a cell phone while at work. These rules are response to a trolley accident in a tunnel where 49 people were injured. One of the drivers was texting his girl friend at the time of the accident.
Any distraction that occupies you while you are supposed to be driving is dangerous. Texting and driving is just plain stupid. I was with friend last year who was so attached to his phone that he was responding to e-mails while speeding down the interstate. Luckily there have been no injuries as a result of his actions.
Has Massachusetts gone too far in totally banning cell phone use for mass transportation drivers? I think not. It should have been enacted sooner in every state. I think you will see this as a national trend and more and more states will impose similar bands and penalties, and rightfully so. These companies are held to a higher standard and are responsible for the actions of their employees. It can cost them millions of dollars if an accident is caused by a driver while texting, There may even be punitive damages awarded if they don’t take action to prevent this activity.
Unfortunately common sense has left our society when it comes to cell phone use. Whether it is texting and driving, talking on the phone while you are ordering food or letting the phone ring and sometimes even answering it in church we can not stand to be away from our cell phones and disconnected from the world. I applaud Massachusetts efforts. It is a shame that it took a horrible accident to make them enact the procedure. I hope that Kentucky and other states will follow their lead and enact similar rules in the very near future. It will prevent auto and bus accidents and save lives.
As anyone knows a distracted driver is a dangerous driver. I would go as far to say that a distracted driver becomes very dangerous. Believe it or not, most of us are not very good at multi-tasking, especially when we are behind the wheel of a car. Driving is difficult enough, but when you drive and eat, put on make up, talk on the phone or text message you are putting yourself and everyone around you at risk. My old boss used to call cars missiles of destruction in his closing arguments. There is a lot of truth in that statement.
A study released by the National Safety Council last week tested 41 drivers ability to maneuver their cars while engaged in distracting activities, like doing mental math problems and answering questions. I would argue that this is far less distracting than eating a sandwich or putting on makeup, but guess what? They had problems keeping their car in the correct lane and they had a slower response time. Easier activities had almost the same affect as harder activities. The point being eating a sandwich may be as dangerous as text messaging. I find this hard to believe, but agree that any distraction can lower the reaction time and limit one’s ability to avoid an accident.
The point is concentrate on driving or you are going to hurt someone. A distraction is one of the items police look for in evaluating fault in a car wreck. Keep Kentucky roadways safe and accident free. Concentrate on driving and nothing else!
To me this is stating the obvious. You should not send a text message, read a text message, read an e-mail or be on your facebook page while you are driving on Kentucky roads. Once again, stating the obvious, this lack of attention to the road and what is happening in front of you causes serious auto accidents. I drove up to Chicago last week for a conference. As I passed cars or they passed me I was watching the drivers. Before it got to dark to observe I counted eight people who appeared to be texting while driving down I-65 at 70 mph. This is, shall we say not smart and dangerous.
Tennessee has just passed a law banning text messaging while driving. They join eight other states that ban text messaging and nine states that ban texting by teenage drivers (I guess you have the ability to text and drive once you turn 21). This is a law that needs to be in place. Awareness will prevent auto accidents.
Kentucky considered a law banning texting while driving last year and talking on a cell phone while driving if you are not using a hands free device. If I recall it didn’t make it out of committee. I hope Kentucky will consider revisiting this issue in the next legislative session. We need a law that can be used by the police to make our roads safer. Tennessee has a proposed penalty of a maximum of a $50 fine; hopefully Kentucky will look at a stiffer penalty that will be more of a detriment. I would also like to see tougher penalties for repeat offenders. I urge the Kentucky legislature and Governor Beshear to look at this issue and give Kentucky a law banning text messaging and cell phone use with some teeth. This will prevent auto accidents and injuries on Kentucky roadways.
