Too Many Traffic Deaths

By Ben Glass, Esquire

Recently published data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is disappointing. The past decade has, by and large, seen the number of traffic fatalities decrease, but the past two years (2015 and 2016) have trended in the wrong direction. So what is the new culprit that is driving this trend in the wrong direction?

The sad news is it isn't happening because of some seismic shift in driving habits or a dramatic change in the laws. Driving fatalities from 2015 and 2016 are the result of drivers not wearing their seatbelts, motorcyclists not wearing helmets, and people driving while impaired. All of these scenarios helped nudge driver fatality statistics in the wrong direction, as they often do.

The question remains open as to how to solve these ongoing issues. There are currently big public relations campaigns to help educate drivers, young and old alike, on the dangers of engaging in any of these dangerous activities. There are aggressive laws on the books to punish people who violate these societal norms. The problem continues in spite of our best efforts, it seems. The good news is that our efforts aren't in vain, as over the past decade, we have made strides in the right direction. Plus, the inevitable wave of self-driving cars will, in time, make much of these human errors in judgment irrelevant.

Between now and then, the answer to the problem will still be the same magic bullet it has always been. That magic bullet is called personal responsibility, something that can feel a bit absent around us. Each one of us has a circle of influence. Be it friends, family, peers, teammates, or colleagues, we all have the ability to push people in the right direction to make the right decisions. Fortunately, wearing your seatbelt, putting on a helmet, and taking a cab ride remain the right answers to problems that we can all agree upon.

While the rest of the world scrambles around looking for the next big thing, the next wave of innovation, the next big controversy, you can always spend a little energy on the solutions we can count on, solutions that are oriented around taking personal responsibility for the problems in our immediate universe.

We can be one more tired, repeated voice, saying to our friends and neighbors the same things that they have heard over and over again wear your seatbelts, don't drink and drive, don't text and drive those important reminders that the next time they hear them, might just be the time they heed them.