As you may know, I’m not a huge fan of Federal Regulation. A recent story in the Washington Times just makes me look upward and wonder again what everybody was thinking last November.
First, understand that I drive a lot for a guy that isn’t a long-haul trucker – about 30,000 miles / year. I work, play and visit family and friends all over the west coast and I enjoy the freedom that a car provides. And, I see all of the stupid stuff people do while they are driving . Some of them should be relegated to mass transit, for sure, but the vast majority of American motorists kind of get it.
I was also involved with the Mothers Against Drunk Driving program early in my automobile racing career. A team mate / car owner had a relationship with them and we would speak about their cause (the point being that I have long been familiar with traffic safety issues). Some thought that the combination of our affiliation with MADD and being car racers made us more interesting talk show guests and speakers than aggrieved mothers – ya think?
On my last two trips to Seattle, traffic suddenly slowed from a speed 2-5 mph above the speed limit to 20 mph below it. The reason? – signs on the side of Interstate 5 that announce that the speed limit is being “photo enforced”. Are you kidding me? I was told the same story by two friends who on different trips encountered the same phenomenon early in a crossing of Arizona. In those cases traffic was travelling at 80 mph (which can be plenty safe and sane) and quickly slowed to sub 50 mph levels (not so safe).
So, I wonder – are they trying to improve public safety and prevent accidents, mayhem and death, or are they trying to trick people into breaking laws? How about some simplified law that everybody can understand..? I mean, until everybody figures out the easy stuff like you shouldn’t just tool along in the left lane at 55 nibbling on your dim sum, and that the law actually allows bicycles to use the road, we probably have enough rules – don’t you think..?
So finally, we get to the story and the inspiration for this post. The fellow tagged by the Obama Administration to head the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), despite possibly good intentions, appears to be a nut, better suited to writing traffic law in Pyongyang.
And just for fun – If you want to know what the Transportation Czar’s .04 Blood Alcohol Content means to you, here is a way to find out.