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In article <35a023c2.32370521@news.okc.oklahoma.net>,
   in@the.sig (E. Faubion) wrote:
>Dennis.Jensen@dwt.csiro.au (Dennis Jensen) wrote:
>
>>But hang on Earl, if there are more people travelling on interstates, there 
>>will be more fatalities.
>
>No.  The only thing that proves is there will be more people on the
>interstates.  Whether the fatalities increase or decrease depends on
>the quality
>

Agree, to a point. You would not expect a huge change in fatality rates one 
way or another, a few percentage points from one year to another at best. If 
the traffic grows to a greater extent than the decrease in the fatality rate, 
the number of fatalities WILL go up, as the report that you posted said.

>>>The URL for that last document is:
>
>>>http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa/pdf/prelim.pdf
>
>>>if you're interested.  It's only 4 pages.
>
>>I have read it, Earl, and I am really confused. The document states that the 
>>fatality rate is marginally less than 1996, so could you please explain what 
>>that comment about lead footed drivers and fatalities.
>
>They're still out there and they're still killing themselves and
>others.  I just heard about a crash on an interstate in Virginia today
>that killed 7 and another crash in Kansas (not on an interstate) that
>also killed 7.  Causes not listed yet.  It'll be interesting to see
>what the investigations reveal.   
>

Earl, I have also heard of a number of people who have dies in their sleep who 
were not moving at all. Yes, people were kileed, and it is tragic. But to say 
people are killing themselves, and it is due to lead footed drivers, when the 
statistics indicate otherwise is deluding yourself.

>>Sorry, Earl, but what this adds up to is SAFET roads this year than last 
year, 
>>DESPITE the increase in speed.
>
>Is that a reason to drop safety measures?  Of course not.
>

Absolutely not. However, it seems to me that when you talk of safety measures, 
you are talking of safety measure (singular), that of speeding? What of driver 
training, improved road design etc? 

One factor that has intrigued me is that of people blacking out behind the 
wheel. I have a question that I would like you to answer honestly, Earl. An 
acquaintance blacked out behind the wheel about 2 months ago. He was 
travelling in an 80km/h (50mph) zone , and went straight ahed on the corner, 
and hit a power pole. Car was totalled, he got broken ribs. Now, we know that 
he blacked out prior to the crash because he stated that. However, what would 
you, as an accident investigator, have ascribed the crash to had he been 
killed? In all honesty, I am sure that you will agree that the speed box would 
have been one of those ticked, despite the fact that speed per se had nothing 
to do with the cause of the accident. 

The reason for the concern is that this is not the first instance I have heard 
of. We managed to purchase the house that we are currently living in for a 
reasonable price because one of the sisters that shared the house had blacked 
out TWICE when driving, and had lost her license. So the problem is clearly 
not that uncommon. How much research is being done on this? Nope, it is 
obviously all to do with speed;)

>>The naysayers are ALWAYS saying how the death 
>>rate is going to go up, unfortunately for their argument, the reverse always 
>>seems to occur.
>
>Better look again.  Early data from 1997 shows it is up.   
>

Fatalities up, fatality RATE down. Now which do you believe is the real 
indicator of road safety?

Dennis