Road Safety 101

Someone asked what my motive was in providing constructive feedback.

Motive: make transportation better

Transportation should get us from A to B.? Implicit in that charge is “as fast as safely possible” for most trips (some do involve a sight-seeing or physical exertion component).

We know that the obsession with speed is unhealthy; speed is rarely a significant factor in incidents (and when it does it is usually the delta, rather than the absolute that matters); of course higher combined speeds do make crashes more dangerous, but that only means we need to include speed in our risk calculations); unsafe at any speed is a significant saying, but only for highlighting the absurdity of some’s obsession.

We know that risk reduction is important only if one believes folks are being too risky; the evidence is that most folks are comfortable with the level of risk, currently, and the consequences of such a choice; we have had about 40,000 roadway deaths for some time.? Realization of risk and the factors that make up risk are important.

We know that we are often surprised and that surprise is often unpleasant.? We saw a proliferation of electronic devices (e-devices) that have the potential to distract folks from the important and difficult task of driving, yet we did not see a similar trend in roadway deaths.? We have no idea why.

We know that surprises while driving contribute to many incidents.? Many surprises in driving can be controlled by the designers and operators of roadways.

For example, we often see cries for work-zone safety directed at drivers.? It is unlikely that drivers are intentionally targeting work-zone workers.? It is much more effective to design work zones for the safety we want, rather than rely on drivers negotiating an unfamiliar work zone (surprise).? Designers and operators have the ability to essentially eliminate the possibility of a driver’s vehicle meeting a work-zone worker.? Let’s require that.? Safety Professionals, a group is decidedly very small, know that instituting hard measures like attenuation in work zones would effectively eliminate the problem, while relying on drivers’ behaviors is accepting the current reality.

We often have other surprises appear on/along roadways.? Designers can warn of and limit those surprises through better road design.? We must hold the designers to improving design and incorporating known design solutions.? We must not allow ourselves or designers to blame drivers.

Blame, shame, and guilt have no place in safety discussions.? They often pursue the wrong people, start in hindsight, and almost always are ineffective.? It is past time to abandon those draconian measures and apply fixes known to work.

Impaired driving is still a significant contributor to incidents.? The focus is traditionally on the drivers; the focus ought to be on the impairment.? For some sources of impairment (alcohol, for example), we could effectively end driving while impaired.? However, this would involve measures that are unConstitutional.? For other sources (marijuana, for example), we do not have ways to determine if one is impaired.? Some suggest that if we only could get drivers to realize that they are impaired and should not and do not drive the problem would be solved.? How naive.? One tactic we have employed is to lower the level of blood alcohol that we consider impairing, or rather too impairing for driving (as almost all levels of alcohol impair).? This can stop an impaired driver who is caught driving before he crashes.? This requires the driver to start driving and happen across someone interested in and recognizing some unusual driving behavior.? We cannot rely on this happenstance nor the thought that an impaired driver will recognize that he is impaired; by definition, an impaired person is lacking in his thought process.? So, the way we have gone about reducing the impact of impaired drivers is stuck; we are doing as well as we would expect.? Another approach is needed, if we want to improve.

We have something relatively new (although it is an improvement on an old idea of taxis) with the rideshare apps.? In most places, ride sharing is available to get folks to and from places where they might indulge in impairing activities.? If planned, there is no reason to be driving to or from those places/events.

Driving is usually the most difficult task that most people do and it is done usually on a daily basis.? With no or almost no training (nor testing), we allow folks to command a large, fast vehicle that can kill others in similar vehicles and those in lesser vehicles, as well as pedestrians (and bystanders).? And usually this license to drive is permanent.? I live in Arizona where our driver’s license is good from 16 to 65.

Training to refresh, update, and develop the skills required to drive would be a welcome solution.

This sort of training would not be focused on risk reduction, but on the above and risk recognition and how to react in surprises.

Life is risky; well, maybe it is not risky–we all die in the end–a fate complete.? But before that moment, most of us prefer to take calculated risks to reap the real rewards.? We all agree that without risk, reward is reclusive.? So, yes, we drive at speeds that reflect our recognition of risk.

We need to actively campaign against such nonsense as “zero” efforts.? We all implicitly understand that zero is not effective nor desirable, we need to make that understanding explicit.? We must hold the folks responsible when they peddle such crap.? Their stance in the way of progress is unacceptable and unethical if they are pretending to be interested in safety.

We must also be careful with the data we collect and call science.? Almost all are not.? Safety poses a particular challenge in data analysis as for most issues we are already rather safe and the small numbers make luck the determinant factor.? With one incident plus or minus, our data “shows” we are negligent or god-like, respectively.? Neither is correct nor fair.? The best we can do is to make good decisions with the information we have available; we can improve our decision-making by collecting information as resources allow, as the benefits of such collection outweigh the cost, and if such information is real.