The Dumbing Down of Charlotte »
A big fuss in Charlotte of late is the number of people who drive the wrong way on the interstate. Of course, this number is only a handful - or at least, the number of people who are caught doing it is only a handful, and that only because they've been in some pretty nasty wrecks in the process. So what do we do? Why, we investigate!
The first problem? Surely signage isn't clear enough. Maybe we need more signs. Uh-huh. According to at least one recent article, traffic engineers prefer clearer signs, flashing lights and better-designed, less confusing interchanges.
I must confess - I've only been driving for perhaps 20 years. But what is it that is confusing about an interchange?
I see absolutely no problem. The problem isn't with the design. It's with the use of the design. Since there have been a handful of wrecks recently, we obviously didn't do it right. So now we need to reconsider. Hey, how about instead of rebuilding the interchanges, we just look at these people and figure out that maybe, just maybe, the problem is that they were too drunk to be driving.
Maybe the problem isn't that we need to design the interchanges and on ramps and off ramps so that even drunk drivers can use them safely, but we need to have tougher penalties in place for driving drunk in the first place, so that it just doesn't happen. That would be a novel approach, no?
Comments (1)
I love it when people agree with me. I really do. Of course, I'm not sure if it counts when the paper agrees, because they are so wishy-washy. But it's still neat.
First, 'local and state offcials', whoever they are, after thinking really hard, have decided that four of the five recent fatal wrecks are caused not by bad design, but by a driver who couldn't make the appropriate decision.
Then, on the same day, the DA announced that the driver in one of those crashes was told by the passengers of his vehicle that he was drunk and shouldn't be drving. Those passengers got out and got another ride. The driver, despite being prodded to do the same, continued on his route on his own.
Posted by Chad Everett on March 21, 2006 9:43 AM