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 todays 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. 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, 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 by a motorist who failed to yield the right of way as he entered the roadway. This 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

In all fifty states a bicycle rider is considered a vehicle with the same privilege and duties to follow the rules of the road as for the other vehicles we share our roads with. Unfortunately as our lives get more busy, too many road users become frustrated with anything or anyone, such as a bicyclist, that slows their progress of them getting where they are going as fast as they want- and at the same time they are being distracted by their cell phones and other multitasking issues while propelling a two thousand pound vehicle down the road.
Taken from an article at http://www.timesnews.net/community_article.php?id=2184

BikeMississippi.org

Bike Mississippi is a new organization coordinated by Rich Adair to bring all biking resources of Mississippi together in group to advocate the rights and safety of cyclists in Mississippi.

The vision is to have an active organization that represents all the cycling clubs in Mississippi in dealing with local and state governments on various issues.