If there’s one topic that’s always in the news, it’s driving.
And when I say always, it truly is ALWAYS in the news.
Whether it’s the discussion of senior drivers and their ability to drive skillfully at an older age, or teenagers who are driving distracted, or DWIs or driving while tired — there’s always a headline story or a brief in the newspaper when it comes to driving.
What’s sad is the number of DWIs, injury accidents or worse — deaths — that appear in print and on television. Far too many than we’d like to cover.
The discussion of making the roads safer usually does center on the seniors, texting teens and drunks. With seniors, many want to re-test. With teens, we want to ban calls and texting and other distractions that plague many teens, but many adults as well. And with drunk drivers, I think it’s safe to say we all want them off the road.
A recent study found that seniors aren’t as much a liability as we all think. I think the study is a good one, and may correct some misconceptions, but I also think it’s conducted in a way that doesn’t include the fact that there’s more driving and more miles driven by younger people.
So the study would have to take into account raw numbers of drivers on the road. Seniors do make up a large contingent of drivers, and a high percentage in Western New York, but I still think the amount of driving being done every day on the road is higher among the younger crowd, making them more prone to accidents.
Distracted driving needs to end. Simple as that. I’m not sure the solution, other than stiff penalties for each and every occurrence. Put it on par with DWIs and penalize accordingly (unless you’re in North Tonawanda, apparently). There are more distracted driving accidents than DWI accidents these days, so penalize accordingly.
For DWI accidents and fatalities, take away the driver’s license for good. No questions asked. May as well do the same for injury accidents and fatalities as a result of distracted driving.
As far as testing, my opinion is we should all be tested. If you feel comfortable with your driving skills, why not prove it every five years or so? If an instructor decides you’re a safe driver, you continue to hold your license. If your skills have failed to a point where you may be a danger, you may lose your license.
I don’t think we can trust the families of the elderly to take their keys away. That’s a tough conversation and one that some children may avoid having with their parents. If the state or your insurance company has to step in and test, then rule that those keys need to be taken away, the son or daughter of that elderly individual may avoid a tough conversation.
I also don’t think elderly automatically equals dangerous. There’s going to be many elderly drivers who can pass a test every five years well into their 80s.
Regardless, over the course of our lives, we should have to be re-tested. Just because you pass a driver’s test when you’re 16 doesn’t mean you’re able to drive skillfully for the rest of your life. Reaction, eyesight, mobility and more deteriorate over time. If that’s not regulated or checked, we’ll continue to have dangerous drivers on the road.
And until stiff penalties are levied by police agencies with regard to distracted driving and DWI, and supported by our judicial system and not pleaded down, we’ll continue to have that contingent of dangerous drivers on the road.
The goal — ultimately — is for fewer accidents and fatalities on the road. The less ink we need to dedicate to driving-related stories, the better.
Tim Marren is managing editor of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Contact him at tim.marren@lockportjournal.com or 439-9222.
Tim Marren
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Tim Marren / Lockport Union-Sun & Journal Managing Editor
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