On the Automotive Front

This story from the local paper was merely the worst of at least three wrecks here in Baton Rouge. I had the misfortune of witnessing two lesser wrecks during the day--both on Highland Road. One was at Aster Street, and the other was at Highland at Terrace. The latter apparently required the services of EMT's: traffic was stopped while the ambulance moved into position.

"...speed and weather conditions most likely were factors." That and "chain-reaction crash" always make me a little angry. Don't people have any sense? Bad weather is a red flag when you're on the road--slow down a bit. You don't have to crawl, but at least take conditions into consideration. Likewise, chain-reaction crashes are the result of people following too close. As someone who's driving strategy on the highway (when my car works well enough to use the highway) is to take steps to stay in between the packs of cars--either by slowing down or speeding up when necessary--I can attest that it's not impossible to maintain distance between vehicles under most conditions, emphasis on the word "most." Rush hour is a different story.

Rush hour has become a de facto drivers ed course for most motorists, it seems. If a good bit of your driving time is spent under conditions that really shouldn't exist, then it's all but certain the habits picked up will spill over. And rush hour in most if not all communities these days is characterized by driving conditions that the roads were NOT designed for. It's like playing reverse lotto: a lot of people win, i.e., they reach their destination safely, while a few "losers" wind up either dead, injured, or with a pretty sizeable chunk of change lost in the form of higher insurance or lost work time.

That's what the automobile manufacturers call freedom.