WAUNAKEE, Wis., April 13, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Over the past few years, state and federal legislators have given us tougher seat belt laws, .08 per cent blood alcohol content laws and heavy jail sentences for drinking and driving. Industry and government have teamed up to install ticket cameras at intersections controlled by traffic lights. Local community activists have campaigned for stop signs at every corner and ever lower speed limits on urban and suburban streets. State and local police agencies are making their mark with thousands of roadblocks for DWI enforcement, license checks and insurance verification.
The result of this punitive, regulatory campaign against motorists is the first increase in highway fatality rates in 24 years. Of course, government agencies, insurance companies, police officials and anti-mobility crusaders advocate more of the same. More punitive laws. More restrictive regulation. More intrusive enforcement. And, more obstacles to smooth, efficient travel. The folly of this approach should now be apparent.
The highway fatality rate in the U.S. can resume its historic pattern of decline, for years to come, if proven traffic engineering principles are employed, roadways are improved, new drivers are better trained and vehicle buyers can choose the safety features that best suit their needs.
If speed limits are properly set to reflect prevailing traffic speeds, the result is smooth, efficient and safe traffic flow. If traffic lights are properly timed and coordinated with prevailing traffic speeds, the incidence of "red light running" drops to insignificant levels. When stop signs are used only to control intersection right of way, and not improperly as a means to control vehicle speeds, accidents decline in number, emissions improve and neighborhood noise is reduced. Paving a roadside shoulder gives bicyclists a safe place to ride and provides and extra margin of safety for motorists. Letting consumers select vehicle safety devices can prevent the kinds of tragedies that occurred when thousands of people were injured and killed by the first generation of over-powered air bags.
As was proven by the partial elimination of the 55-mph National Maximum Speed Limit in 1987 and its complete repeal in 1995, the solution to highway safety problems is not always more restrictive regulation. There is no correlation or cause and effect relationship between the number of traffic tickets written and accident reductions. It's time to put down the ticket book and start to use the knowledge, experience and standards that we have developed over the past one hundred years to better support and accommodate the two hundred million drivers that ply America's roadways.
The National Motorists Association recommends the following actions to reverse the counter productive results of the punitive approach to traffic safety:
-- Use proven traffic engineering principles to set speed limits that
reflect reasonable and prevailing traffic speeds. The federal
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices recommends that speed
limits be set at the 85th percentile, that is a limit that
reflects the speed that 85 percent of the vehicles are traveling
at, or below.
-- Raise per se DWI threshold standards to a BAC of .12 percent so
that enforcement, judicial and treatment resources can be focussed
on that portion of the population actually responsible for drunk
driving accidents. This does not prevent enforcement and judicial
action at lower BAC percentages if impairment is in evidence.
-- Instead of installing ticket cameras at controlled intersections,
attention should be concentrated on improving the visibility,
timing and coordination of traffic lights. The simple addition of
one second to the duration of the yellow light signal can
drastically reduce incidences of intersection violations and
accidents.
-- Allow vehicle consumers to choose the kinds of personal safety
devices they wish to have installed in their cars and trucks. Air
bags and daytime running lights, in particular, should be
optional.
-- Provide innovative and effective training programs for beginning
drivers. Funding for training programs could be obtained from
other terminated safety programs that have failed to prove their
effectiveness. For example, there is no evidence that high profile
saturation enforcement campaigns have a positive effect on traffic
safety. The same can be said for costly roadblock operations.
-- Refocus the priorities of state highway patrol agencies toward
incident management, motorist assistance, and accident prevention.
These tasks cannot be accomplished while hiding in the median,
operating radar, and disrupting traffic flow.
These, and other recommendations based on the premise that the vast majority of drivers are concerned about their own safety and welfare, as well as not wanting to hurt others or cause property loss, can stop and reverse an increasing highway fatality rate. Punitive laws, arbitrary regulations, and enforcement for profit are not the answers governments should be promoting.
The National Motorists Association was established in 1982 to represent the interests and rights of North American motorists. It operates at the national level and through a system of state chapters. The NMA is solely supported through the contributions of individuals, families and small businesses. For more information about the NMA, call 608-849-6000, fax us at 608-849-8697, E-mail us at nma@motorists.org or visit the NMA Web site at http://www.motorists.org.
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CONTACT: National Motorists Association
Eric Skrum, Communications Director
(608) 849-6000
nma@motorists.org