Car Accidents

So, last week when I drove up to Jacksonville to visit my good friend Diana, I saw a pretty nasty looking accident on the side of the road. A Budget moving van had tipped over on the driver's side, and there was furniture and clothing all over the ground. A family was standing near the truck, and a mother was hugging her daughter tightly. I didn't see the father, but, as I didn't want to get into my own accident, I couldn't really slow down for a look. I don't know if anyone was hurt, but it was no doubt a traumatic experience for everyone.

My thoughts then drifted to the dangers of driving. Car accidents are one of the top 5 causes of death in the United States, and they are number one for people under 35. And nobody seem to realize how big of a deal this is.

People and organizations sink money into breast cancer research, heart disease awareness, AIDS research, preventing terrorist attacks, etc. But the highest profile driving awareness program is MADD, and that just addresses one of the (albeit very dangerous) peripheral issues. The United Statesian population is mostly passive in regards to one of the riskiest activities in which we routinely participate. People just don't seem to want to attack this element of their comfortable lifestyles, even if it means that they run a much much higher chance of injuring or even killing themselves.

Some obvious measures that could be taken to make the roads safer:

• better public transport in cities that were built after the car
• Basically, anything that reduces the number of cars on the road makes things safer for everyone.
• This would also help to reduce carbon emissions and gas guzzling, which are both fashionable and important right now.
  
• lower speed limits and/or slower cars:
• I don't really understand why most cars have speedometers that go up into the hundreds. It is illegal and dangerous to drive that fast anyway.
• This would be highly unpopular, but maybe combined with lots of PR and education it could work, which leads me to...
• better education and advertisement:
• It's too easy to get a permit and it's too easy to get a license. Everyone should be able to, if they put in the work. But they should have to put in more work. I'm talking really comprehensive tests and thorough, mandatory driver's education classes.
• Teenagers should have to have their permits for 2 years before they drive, and there should be different categories of licenses. For instance, until you've been driving alone for 2 years, traffic violations should be considered more serious and require more mandatory driver's education, etc.

These are just ideas, and I know that I sound like a totally uptight prude, but I'd rather be a loser than a dead woman.