Christopher Costa

Kase McCormick
Jack Green
M. Serhat Kariparduc
ENGL 1010-701
Wade Bentley
August 7th, 2014
Rebuilding the Roads
Car accidents are the fifth highest cause of death in the United States (United
States). How do we solve this problem? How can we make people more aware that
distracted driving, drowsy driving, and drunk driving can put people's lives in danger?
Although there are new technologies and programs being developed, accidents are still
frequently occurring. Ultimately, our solution to these problems are educating people on
driving safely and contriving some technologies to help people make better decisions.
Car crashes kill over 40,000 Americans annually (Fox News). Thats 109 people
per day. Families are constantly losing loved ones due to peoples lack of concern and
attention while driving. According to Fox News, 18-year-old Jean Soriano crashed his car
while driving under the influence (Associated Press Nevada Car Crash Kills 5 Family
Members; Teen Arrested). As a result, a family of five was killed. This tragedy couldve
been avoided if Jean Soriano decided to drive sober. Americans are dying, and others are
going to jail because of ignorance behind the wheel.
One of our group members, Chris, has had a personal experience with a car
accident. His father, Francisco, had been in a devastating car accident and Chris saw the
wrecked vehicle. Franciscos minivan was totaled and parked inside the garage when
Chris and his family came home that day. No one had received a call from Francisco, so
they thought he might be dead. Everyone panicked and rushed into the house. Thankfully,
Chriss father was still alive even though he sustained a big mark on his stomach due to
the pressure of the car crashing. The car looked like it had been put through a car crusher
at a junk yard. Chris couldnt help but think about what it would be like to be in the
crash.
Chris interviewed his dad by asking him a couple of questions. How could you
have prevented the crash? And why did you crash? Francisco said that he felt a sense of
helplessness, loss of control, and fear that he might die or sustain severe injury. He also
feared that other people could be seriously harmed. Chriss dad was mostly concerned for
his loved ones at home. To prevent the crash, he said that he couldve been driving with
newer rear tires and he shouldve been driving slower for the rainy conditions. His
vehicle was struck by strong side winds as a semi truck passed him at a high speed during
a heavy summer storm causing the vehicle to hydroplane. The vehicle spun 360 degrees
across the freeway and struck a concrete barrier in the center median. He said the causes
were water accumulation, strong side winds, fast driving, and substandard rear tires. After
all was said and done, Francisco felt a great sense of relief that no one was injured,
despite his vehicle being a total loss.
As weve come to realize, car accidents are a prominent problem in America. Not
only do they cause death and severe injuries, but they can also change a loved ones life
forever. Because of this, more attention should be directed toward this problem. We
should consider solutions to this issue more actively and more inclusively. In order to
begin finding new solutions, we need to examine the causes of car accidents in America.
After doing some research, we discovered that there are four main causes of car
accidents on the road: drunk driving, breaking traffic laws, drowsy driving, and distracted
driving. These causes are pervasive throughout the United States and their effects are
detrimental.
Driving while under the influence of alcohol contributes to the majority of car
accidents in America. When someone is drunk they lose control over their motor skills,
making car accidents imminent. Twenty-eight people die in drunk driving accidents every
day (MADD). Two in three people are going to be involved in a drunk driving incident in
their lifetime. In 2011, 226 children were killed in drunk driving accidents. These
statistics make drunk driving a very profound cause of car crashes.
Another major source of car accidents in America is violation of traffic laws.
Although it may be quicker and more convenient to ignore the laws, is it safer? The
Department of Transportation says that speeding accounts for a third of the crashes on the
road. Furthermore, speeding causes 13,000 deaths per year (National Safety Council).
According to polls conducted by the NSC, the majority of Americans admit to breaking
traffic laws. Their reasons include being in a hurry, being inattentive, not taking laws
seriously, and not expecting to get caught. Americans are frequently causing car
accidents by disobeying traffic laws that they dont take seriously.
Drowsy driving is also a cause of car accidents in America. According to the
National Sleep Foundations American poll in 2005, 60% of adult drivers, about 168
million, admit that in the past year they have driven a vehicle while drowsy (Drowsy
Driving). About a third of these drivers have admitted to have fallen asleep at the wheel.
This is clearly an indication of how drowsy driving can be life threatening. 4% (11
million drivers) admit that they have had an accident or near accident because they dozed
off at the wheel. While driving drowsy, 42% of drowsy drivers say they become stressed,
32% say they become impatient, and 12% tend to drive faster. Drowsy driving is a
leading cause of car accidents because so many Americans are susceptible to it.

http://www.ryot.org/distracted-driving-a-bigger-problem-in-u-s-than-in-europe/100697
The final contribution to trouble on the road is distracted driving. We all associate
texting as the major source of distracted driving. However, there are other causes, such as
eating, grooming, reading, etc. According to drivers.com, if you are doing any of the
aforementioned while driving, you are four times more likely to get in a car accident. All
distractions endanger the driver, the passenger, and the bystanders (U.S. Department of
Transportation). Since texting requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention, it is by far
the most alarming distraction. While driving, a drivers priority should be operating
his/her vehicle. Distractions are a leading source of automotive mishap because people
are not taking appropriate measures to minimize them.
There have been many attempts to solve car crashes.. In January 1, 2009, starting
in California, traffic violation fines were heftily raised by the US government (Fox
News). For example, a fix-it ticket in California was more than tripled and the fine for
parking in front of a fire hydrant was increased by 900% in Florida. This initially
worked, but its effect faded out as increasingly more people broke the laws and got away
with it. People need to be more cognizant of traffic laws because all it takes is one
accident to impact someones life. Furthermore, financial shortcomings can also worsen
the situation. This attempt clearly has not worked and needs improvement to be effective
in the long run.
Another attempt to solve car crashes is setting rubberneck screens. This effort
mainly aimed to deal with the distraction of the drivers. As we all know, rubbernecking is
staring at something of interest while driving. It slows traffic down, which causes traffic
jams. Setting rubberneck screens pursues to solve this issue by preventing drivers from
looking at something of interest while driving, and therefore keeps drivers focused on the
road (Freakonomics). The UK Highway Agency has tried this solution. However, these
screens are not perfect. They are very vulnerable to wind, they do not work in all accident
sites, and they have to be deployed in a fairly short amount of time. Nevertheless, the test
results for these screens proved this solution to be effective. Ultimately, the scope of this
solution will need to widen its reach to America
A different venture to solve car crashes is automatic license revocation.
Automatic license revocation usually applies to those who drive under the influence.
Their privilege to drive is taken away. While this system of punishment has proven to be
effective to a certain extent, it should be improved in a way that would make the drivers
feel remorse about disobeying the laws. This can be achieved by adding mandatory
community service hours on top of the revocation. This would make it so drivers will be
more considerate of the community that they jeopardize by driving under the influence.
The final endeavor to solve car crashes is constructing roadway shoulder rumble
strips. They are very common all across the country. Rumble strips vibrate when cars
make close contact with them. The loud vibration from the rumbling dramatically
increases the drivers alertness. This makes it so the driver does not obstruct traffic and
potentially cause a crash. However, this attempt has had limited success. The alertness
that these rumble strips cause is very brief (Shoulder Rumble Strips). These rumble
strips can be more effective by improving the duration of the noise so the driver stays
alert for a longer period of time. This primitive approach attempts to solve car accidents
by alerting drowsy drivers.
However, there is no simple way to solve car accidents. The most effective
solutions are the ones that take preventative measures. To be successful, each cause
requires individual attention and a unique plan.
Everyone knows not to drive drunk, so why does it happen? A persons
judgement fades when he or she is drunk. The best way to fix this is to have a designated
driver. However, people often drink alone at bars. So, they could call a taxi or wait to
sober up. All of these solutions work and people are aware of them, but these solutions
arent stopping drunk drivers.
We should integrate technologies into our phones and cars that help us make safer
driving decisions. In order to drive after drinking, people need to know their blood
alcohol level. There are mobile breathalyzers and breathalyzer apps that can show this.
Cars and phones both take advantage of GPS systems. These systems can track when
someone is going to a club or a bar and will turn the car and phone to drunken mode.
Drunken mode makes it so the car wont start unless the drivers alcohol level is low
enough, according to the breathalyzer, to legally drive. Drunken mode on your phone
allows for the operation of a mobile breathalyzer. Also, an alarm sounds if the phone
detects that you are driving in your car (using GPS technologies) over the legal limit.
Promotion of these ideas can be implemented through volunteer experiments and
government compensation. Having short and long-term experiments can statistically
prove these techniques successful. Also, positive reinforcement of these ideas and raising
awareness of their success can expand the reach of the programs. Tax returns, discounts,
and other benefits are examples of some positive reinforcements.
Another way that drunk driving can be reduced is by something called Slur
Detection. This device is utilized to detect if you are drunk by comparing how you talk
normally to the changes in your voice when youre drunk. An emergency contact can be
programmed into the operators car. This contact will be informed via phone if the driver
is detected to be driving drunk. Confrontation of this issue can lower ignorance and help
the operator understand the significance of his/her predicament.
Traffic violations were meant to be broken, right? A lot of people dont
understand the effect of certain traffic violations. They will say things like, Thats
stupid or I shouldnt have to follow that. This lack of concern is especially displayed
when people speed.
To help deter drivers from speeding, there should be more reinforcement of
consequences. There are restrictions in place like speed radars that show the drivers their
speed. Ironically, we see many drivers speed past these even when the speed limit is
posted right below the speed radar screens. Cameras should be mounted on these speed
radars so they can capture a picture of the license plate of a car that exceeds the
programmed speed limit. The cameras will be fixed to focus only on the license plates of
the offenders. These pictures will then be sent to those who regulate the speed signs. The
pictures will be sorted, tickets will be mailed to the recipients, and the pictures will be
strictly used for dealing with the appropriate fines. This system will not invade the
privacy of those who violate it. From this, the reach of enforcement on speeding will be
expanded, making the roads a safer place.
Preventing a cause of car accidents like distracted driving will also make the
roads a safer place. Distracted driving can be prevented; however, there must be a few
precautions to make the outcome positive. The driver must first ask him/herself what is
more important: being distracted in any way for a brief moment of satisfaction with the
possible outcome of death, or waiting until you've reached your destination? Setting
values for driving and realizing the worst possible outcomes from something as simple as
a text can change a drivers perspective on driving distractedly. Things as simple as
turning off your phone before you start to drive or turning on driving mode can prevent
accidents. Accessories like hands-free functions can also help the driver focus on the road
and make calls if theyre important.
Although the previous mentioned technologies and strategies work to an extent,
there needs to be further improvement.
It is the drivers responsibility to preclude drowsy driving. The driver should be
getting more sleep before he or she decides to drive. The individual should also be aware
that they are drowsy and address this issue. Deciding whether they need to arrive at their
destination as soon as possible is also another factor that should be taken into
consideration.
In order to avert drowsy driving, sensors will be installed in steering wheels to
detect if a driver is too drowsy to drive. Sensors in the steering wheel would detect
whether the driver is drowsy or not based on driving reactions/patterns. These
technologies can only aid a person's decision on whether to continue driving or to pull
over.
There are some general standards that can be changed to make the roads safer as a
whole. Making the physical driving tests a lot more challenging can do this. Reducing the
number of points required to fail can increase the difficulty of these tests. Also, there will
be a triennial retake of the driving test to optimize obedient driving.
New drivers really want their driving privilege, so perhaps these tests will actually
stick with them and be a steady guideline when they are out on the road. Increasing the
difficulty of driving tests allows for the tests to be used as a tool to properly punish those
who violate the traffic laws. If someone violates a traffic law, he or she will be detected
by a point system and will eventually need to retake the written and physical driving test.
There are many people who hate taking tests, especially very difficult ones. So this
motivating factor will be sitting in the back of every drivers head before they make a
foolish driving decision.
There is a prevalent amount of punishments for bad driving, but very few benefits
for good driving. Some may argue that not having to be involved in the consequences of
a driving accident is a good enough reward. Even though that is an optimistic view on
driving, it isnt a good enough reward. People should be motivated and inspired to drive
safely and not just blandly thinking at least Im not the one involved in the crash.
Students/young people who drive safely and have good driving records should be
rewarded in ways such as scholarships for college. Also, the government for their safety
and concern for their fellow Americans should recognize them.
Currently there are insurance companies that offer a discount if a customer installs
a GPS system that tracks if he or she is a safe driver. Although this is a fantastic idea, it
shouldnt be restricted to insurance company discounts. Other businesses and companies
should reinforce the idea. More motivation is needed to promote safer driving.
Peoples ignorance and disregard for the law is also a major factor involved in car
accidents. This problem is probably the most difficult to solve. The simple solution is to
expand the awareness of the tragic effects behind crashes, which is done by the
organization ZeroFatalities. Educating and portraying the actual effects of car accidents
can help people understand the significance behind safety on the road. More than often,
people dont change their behaviors unless they have had a personal experience. Creating
an education system that is personal to each student will have a greater impact.
Lastly, the greatest individual reform that anyone can do in order to make the
roads safer is to think ahead. Being well prepared and knowing the difference between
what you need to do and what you want to do can positively affect your judgment. Think
ahead, plan ahead, be prepared, and dont procrastinate.
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