The NFL, Cars, and Cyclists


The current situation of traffic accidents and vulnerable vehicles(cyclists, runners, motorcycles, light energy efficient vehicles) relates to the same dilemma that the NFL is having with it's increase of brain progressive damage. The NFL thought it was solving it's problems by "improving" it's helmet design and padding. The result was the increase in brain trauma. NFL players got faster, bigger, and stronger and the impacts got more severe. I remember as a high school football player when I got my neck roll pad, I became a lot more aggressive and reckless with my hitting because it made me feel more protected. What the NFL has found out that they now need to change the rules of the game to reduce brain trauma. So now we as a society need to change the rules of the game when it comes to reducing automobile accidents.

The progressive damage that we are seeing with cars and accidents is that we have felt that by making cars more impact resistant we reduce the chance of damage. The result is the increase in costs of automobiles, the increase in cost of repairs and even more worse, the perception of invulnerability by today's drivers. The whole notion of invulnerability is the disease that needs to be addressed. The rules that we need to change are the ones that target the behavior of motorists by removing their distractions, provide a cost for ignoring established rules of the road, education and verification of one's competence behind the wheel.

Today the driver is distracted more than ever by cell phones and pdas. Texting increases the risk of an accident by 23 times, and talking on a cell phone 4 times. Drivers are more prone to riskier behaviors as they feel a sense of invulnerability provided them by the protection and power of their vehicles. A person is only required once in their lifetime to prove that they are competent to drive a vehicle, but consider a vehicle that weighs 3200lbs going 30 mph has 98,000 ft lbs of energy. It is one of the most deadly machines ever created and there is no system in place to remove incompetent drivers from the road.

Today most traffic accidents are not investigated by law enforcement unless they result in a death or severe injuries. Law enforcement has relegated traffic accidents up to insurance companies. Instead of identifying behaviors that result in accidents and targeting them with fines or penalties,and punishing those who practice them, those drivers are now "protected" from the consequences of bad behavior by the "protection" of insurance. I personally was hit 3 times in a short period of time by other drivers all who were breaking some law and not a single citation was issued. No citation was issued when I was hit while riding my bike by a motorist who failed to yield the right of way as he entered the roadway. This inaction has added to the progressive erosion of drivers true liability and their attitude to more vulnerable users of the roadways.

The laws that we need to target should be specific for reducing the progressive reduction of drivers responsibilities.

Rich