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This is something that's been rolling around in my head since
returning home from the WFEC, and I've got a first draft up --
mostly for entertainment, but feel free to give it a more serious
review pass if you like. It is meant to be read out loud at a
fairly slow pace typical of political speeches, perhaps in a big
boomy stadium or maybe the south lawn of the White House.
.
Sorry State of the Union Address (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/sotu.html) and what to do about it
.
Though I don't think it would ever catch hold even in a "viral
internet" fashion, especially under the current administration,
it's sometimes nice to dream.
.
Maybe we can have a "dramatic reading" at Hybridfest. It would
take less than 15 minutes.
.
_H*

I'm a very dramatic reader, Sounds like fun!

i edited to say..


That...was...beautiful!

Hobbit for president! He's got my vote.

Until people stop seeing driving as a right instead of a privilege, things will never change. Case in point - When I was growing up, the neighbor three doors down was an alcoholic. Rapped up more cars than I can remember. They'd pull his license, and he'd go to court and win back a conditional license - allowed to drive only to and from work. He'd do just that, for the most part, stopping on the way home for some refreshment. Nothing was ever done about it. People are "outraged" about this problem, yet nothing is ever done. My father was killed by a drunk driver, and the woman who killed him is still driving around - probably at 20 over the limit, too.

I know several "undocumented workers" who have no license and no SSN and are still driving around here with borrowed insurance and out of state tags. Nobody bothers them either.

There aren't enough law enforcement warm-bodies out there to tackle the problem. And people think it is their constitutional right to get wherever they're going as fast as possible, no matter who they kill or injure in the process. The insurance companies just spread the burden out over everyone, so the FSP who just ran the light and drove over three cars in an intersection gets replaced with a shiny new FSP and you foot the bill for it.

The only answer there is to drastically increase the insurance premiums according to vehicle weight and miles driven. If you have an FSP to tow a boat or for occasional hauling, you'll put less than 5000 miles a year on it. Used that way, it is less of a liability than one that is used daily by an egomaniac. So if the vehicle is over 4500 pounds, and drives more than 5000 miles a year, it should cost a small fortune to insure it. This will get the soccer moms back into something more sensible and will keep them from doing as much damage when they run into somebody while chatting on the phone.

From a perspective of personal experience, I have a 3+ second buffer, just to allow room to lose speed for other cars turning or suddenly changing forward speed, and I seem to make better time than people who race along bumper to bumper. Until people see that tailgating destroys proper traffic flow, nothing will change. And we will all have to watch our mirrors and hope they don't hit us.

Great speech writing, and I hope that in time people will wake up to the ideas presented.

.......long standing ovation.........:flag:

Randall

I'd say all traffic accidents within the last few years has killed more than all the wars in American history.

Well said. I like the subtle appeal at the end to us Southerners: "Git 'er done!" ;)

I really like it. It is so true. I just don't think people are ready to change their lifestyles. They will yes you to death, sometimes agree that you are absolutely correct - and then just go ahead with business as usual. What you are asking people to do is have empathy for their fellow man. I guess I just don't think many people care enough to change. They are too busy "doing" to give it any thought. Even the people in my immediate circle can't see that change is needed.

Sorry - rant over - for now. Just wanted to say great piece.

While a 3 second interval would be good. In most of the defensive driving courses that I have taken they recomend one second for each 10 mph. So at 60 mph you would need a 6 second interval.

John

Well said, although I have a hard time approving anything containing the words "git er done" :)

Well said, although I have a hard time approving anything containing the words "git er done" :)

think of it this way, weasels dont get sucked into jet engines...except for one known incident....think of this as that isolated case ;)