BAD DRIVERS DATABASE - Driving in Michigan

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Website/Newsletter article: Created: April 7, 1997 Revised: November 1999 Revised: January 2000 On the Road to Madness: Drivers (misl)ED
by: Joseph M Lenard

What is with the state of driving skills, or the lack thereof, in Michigan. The Laws are finally going to be strengthened to require more hours of actual "on the road" training before new drivers can get a License, and that is a good thing, but what about the current drivers?? We need to raise awareness of the traffic laws and, even more importantly, common courtesy.

Out of all the common areas that are addressed during discussions about Drivers skills, one thing I've yet to hear addressed is people failing to put their lights on when it is dark and rainy, or foggy, or etc... In Canada the Auto companies are required to build cars with lights that come on when a vehicle is in gear; referred to as Daytime running lamps. The companies are introducing it here in the U.S. before legislation is passed. It is really a shame that a manufacturer has to redesign a product to make up for the stupidity of the consumer sector that they service. THIS SHOULD JUST BE A MATTER OF SIMPLE COMMON SENSE.

The issue over NOT raising the Freeway (Interstate & Intrastate) speed limits, until recently, was more financially motivated than a concern over Lives and/or Fuel consumption. Those wishing to travel at slower speeds may use the Freeways in the right-lane or, more appropriately, choose to drive on the Highways (i.e. Telegraph, Fort, Michigan Ave., etc...). If we, as a society or the Government as an Environmental agency, are truly concerned about Fuel consumption, then the Traffic lights could be programmed to maximize traffic flow and minimize traffic stops (rather than to bait people into speeding to issue tickets and raise money for Municipalities and/or the State); as it's the stops and starts that burn the most fuel and cause the most vehicle wear.

Along the same line, I am still convinced that the studies that made the argument that 55 saved Fuel based the conclusion of increased Fuel consumption on the premise that more Fuel is burned at 70 in an hours time (not on consumption per mile) than at 55 MPH. No kidding! but you burn the greater Fuel per hour for a shorter period of time, evening out the actual total consumption; but those are just the games our Government loves to play when skewing the facts to fit the premise, rather than an appropriate basing of policy on facts.

THE MOST INTERESTING QUESTION IS: WHY AND WHEN DRIVING INTEGRITY DECLINED in Michigan. A large contributing factor, I feel, was the Politicization of the driving test. For example, we have introduced such questions as: What percentage of accidents are caused by drunken drivers? While I will not question whether or not this question should be on the test to raise awareness; I feel it important to point out that other questions were removed to make room for these type of questions. Further, I would go so far as to agree with the philosophy that the test itself can help to educate the public, but we need to increase the number of questions on the test to include some more pertinent questions of law like the following:

When approaching an intersection where the Traffic lights are out of service. Treat the intersection as if:
A) it were a four way stop
b) you have the right of way
c) it were an every person for themselves free-for-all

Signals are on vehicles for:
a) use when you feel like it
b) indicating a turn
C) lane changes, indicating a turn, flashers in a hazardous situation

When approaching a School bus, you are required to stop when:
A) the School bus has hazard lights (red lights) blinking (flashing)
b) for no reason
c) never, you own the road and always have the right of way

Vehicles pulling trailers, such as a boat or camper may use:
a) any lane they choose, at any speed.
B) the right-most lanes, at the posted minimum speed.
c) only the left lane, at 25 miles an hour under the speed limit.
d) only the left lane, at 25 miles an hour over the limit or 10 miles an hour faster than is safe to pull the specific trailer, because after all you own the road and why should you worry about making the roads safe for others.

Of course some of the answers would need to be altered before placing them on a real Secretary of State test, but you get the idea. Candice Miller needs to remember that she received many votes because of the state of the driving abilities of Michiganians, and the hope that she would do something about it; while Austin had just ignored everything while in office. She and the Michigan Legislature are now doing so, to their credit.

Lets look at the test questions above again. I capitalized the correct answers, and for those who don't get them right they should take the advice that the answers spell out and take A C A B.

Other items that should be addressed are the wide white bar at intersections with signs and traffic lights, which indicate where a vehicle is supposed to stop!!! At some intersections, that wide bar is a good 25 feet from the corner for a reason, such as letting traffic from a side street enter while traffic is stopped. Why don't Police Officers (who violate this Law themselves) ever ticket anyone for this offense; nor failing to signal, and the like, which is likely to cause accidents in residential areas.

Additional concerns, or issues, include:

Right turn on red is NOT required but ALLOWED when traffic AND THE CROSSWALK is clear.

Left turn on red IS ALLOWED onto a ONE WAY street. Such as locations along divided highways with turn around ramps.

Everyone touches on the SLOWER VEHICLES KEEP RIGHT, which is a violation of road laws in itself, under the USE OF LANE heading. Why doesn't anyone ever get ticketed for "Improper use of lane" or "Obstructing traffic" both of which is a valid application of ticketing for this OFFENSE (as well as discourtesy).
We must remember people can (and do) die in traffic accidents caused by the stupidity and/or discourtesy of others.

VARIABLE SPEED LIMITS:
Make sense? The Speed Limit that is assigned to a roadway is partially based on the road design, traffic load (average number of cars), and more. Electronic cameras and signs are, more and more, lining the roadways. Why can't we put up Electronically controlled Speed Limit signs? This would enable us to allow for higher Speed Limits while loads are lighter and reduced when traffic is heavy or weather conditions warrant lower limits. Common Sense, Right? NEVER HAPPEN! Why, because there is too much money to be made by issuing speeding tickets (refer to the "Tickets as Taxes" item below) - yet they could make up that lost revenue by ticketing the other offences, some of which we've discussed here!

REST STOPS / ROAD LIGHTING / WA$TE:
Remember before how I was talking about common sense? Let's look at Rest Stops! Why have we built them on both sides of the Freeway in one spot? Building one in the middle of the Freeway with the Freeway passing around it does what? Cuts costs in half! Half the costs to build. Half the cost to maintain. And so, and so forth. If you're thinking to yourself that many of our Freeways were built many years ago, that's why they are like that, only goes to show the length of time we've been lacking common sense in our decision process. Or is it just that our Officials don't care about how much of OUR money they're wasting??

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What about Road Lighting? Do we really need that many street lights lining the middle of the Freeways? Consider these points: Headlights, don't cars have them to illuminate our way? Don't the roadways aligning the Freeways have street lights that would lend some of their light to the Freeway? There are many miles of Freeway with NO street lights out in our rural areas? We survive OK where there are NO lights, Right?
I don't advocate taking down all the street lights, but we certainly don't need them every 10^th of a mile or so, do we? How about every 1/4 mile? 1/2 mile? What about alternative power sources for the lights?

Radio Talk show host John McCulloch [WXYT] has discussed the issue of Solar power along our Freeways. You may have also thought about that same thing, just like I had. The median could be lined for every mile of the Freeway with Solar panels (yes, they'd have to be somewhat up in the air, we don't want to blind drivers) that could more provide the power (if excess power battery stored for dark hours) to run our Freeway street lights, and more. Too expensive?? Don't know, have we looked into it? Will costs be offset by savings? Is it worth looking at?

GUARD RAILS / CEMENT BARRIERS:
No matter how we look at it, we cannot protect everyone from themselves, others, or accidents that may occur.
Now remember, I stated earlier: We must remember people can (and do) die in traffic accidents caused by the stupidity and/or discourtesy of others. Before I go on and you get the impression that I am cold and uncaring, which would be incorrect, let me share with you that I was involved in a Auto accident in 1980 that radically changed my life as a person in that accident was killed; that is not a positive memory to live with, let alone share openly with you via the Internet. Also, a relative of mine was killed in an Auto accident, so I know first hand how individual lives, as well as whole families, are effected by Automobile accidents. However, most accidents can be attributed to a Drivers mistake, bad decisions, and/or weather related conditions, rather than the Roadways themselves.
In many other states Roadways look much different. In Michigan Guard Rails practically line every inch of highway on the sides and through the middle, if the middle isn't already lined by Cement barriers. The costs added to road construction are staggering. Even if we Federally mandated all cars having 1 foot of soft foam rubber surrounding them and lined the roadways with 10 foot high foam rubber walls, in effect allowing us to bounce around like dodgem cars, vehicle fatalities would not be eliminated. We must simply watch out for ourselves and each other!! The amount of money that could have gone into actual road repairs instead of steel barriers and/or road signs of every kind is the point I'm making.

SEE ALSO:
Tickets as Taxes: A Cautionary Tale from California
Article by Aarne H. Frobom - Mackinac Center for Public Policy -- December 1997

Michigans New Seat Belt Law: Safety or MONEY GRAB?
a.k.a. the "Click it, or ticket" Law - formerly not Primary enforceable
a.k.a. "Buckle up, or PAY up!" quote from John McCullough - WXYT
Article by Joseph M. Lenard -- March 2000

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