🚀 go-pugleaf

On Sun, 29 May 2005 01:58:16 -0400, Roger
<Delete-Invallid.stuff.groups@tm.net> wrote:

>We kill off over 40,000 a year on the highways. 

That's because we have local politicians who pride themselves on their
policies of fiscal austerity rather than being able to apply their
available funds wisely. Here in Missouri, most of the "state highways"
are narrow, winding two lane roads which have blind hills/ curves and
no shoulders. And, some genius at the state engineered 4 - 6 ft.
gouges in the side of the road for drainage because a storm sewer
system (and the maintenance of such) were not figured into the
construction budget.

There is no margin for error and mostly 20+ linear miles of no passing
zone.

People in this county go off the road and roll over every day, and it
doesn't even require being a careless or imprudent driver. Many of
them die. (As I type this, my pager just went off to inform the
overhead group of another rollover accident outside of my district.
Before this weekend is over, there will be several more - guaranteed).

That's bad, but there's worse. That lack of a shoulder or second lane
for slow drivers or farm equipment means people are crossing the
double lines and occasionally you crest a hill and see someone coming
at you in your lane and there is nothing else to do but ditch right.
With more greenspace constantly turning into subdivision (without
building collateral roadways and connecting subdivisions internally),
it will only get worse.

>Now there is something
>to be paranoid about!  It's so common a fatal wreck only makes the
>local paper unless it's spectacular of some one well known.  In a car
>you are at the mercy of the other drivers.  Night before last  we had
>a guy lose control out on the expressway, cross the median and take a
>pick up truck head on.    What was left didn't even look like cars or
>trucks, or even like they ever had been.  Alcohol was not involved,
>but they figure the guy who lost control may have been doing close to
>a  hundred.  One idiot and one just minding his own business.  Both
>gone.

And, like in my state, where is that divider across the median? One of
the local medical examiners here has been leading the charge with
public awareness campaigns for dividers across Interstate 70 since
I've moved out here (surprisingly we've made it 9 years). It was only
few years ago when MoDOT received the funding from the Missouri
legislature to actually build one in some sections. Part of that was
because there is a constitutional amendment which prohibits the
collection of surplus funds and requires major capital expenditures to
be voted for in referendum ballot. We all know that NONE OF US needs
any of these protective measures. "I'm a good driver and I'll never
need it; screw anyone else." <smirk> Consequently, referendums for
(real) safety initiatives are defeated, along with related things,
like cost recovery for wireless 9-1-1 (typical wireless call:
Telecommunicator: "What is your location, sir?" Caller: "I'm on a two
lane road near a farm with cows. There are lots of trees. I left the
Interstate about a half hour ago.")

Then there are the "speed limit: optional" zones, where there is no
law enforcement around to keep a safe speed or take poor drivers off
the road. I get passed by drivers doing well over 85 every time I'm on
the Interstate. Where are the cops? They're making more money doing
construction work with a lot less trouble.

And, we're spending money hand over fist buying $ecurity Zeppelins and
rocket ships and robots "for the big one," but completely overlook the
everyday enhancements to the services we provide which are useful not
just at the big one, but for the hundreds of thousands of little ones
(I or someone I know may be the next one to need that unfunded and
missing guard rail) that happen every single day in between.

>Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
>(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
>www.rogerhalstead.com

73 & many controlled langings!
Steve