I blame distractions. Research has shown that having a hands-free phone conversation is just as impairing as being legally intoxicated, and messing with nav or texting is even worse.
We treat driving as a right in this country. Our driver's tests are a joke. I think we should treat it as a privilege, and be pretty quick to take it away from people who abuse it (or just suck at it).
If a drunk driver dies, I shed no tears. It’s all the innocent drivers and passengers on the road that I fear for. I think drunk and distracted driving should be punished way harder than it is. First offense should be loss of license for a year. Second offense should be permanent. Have fun walking.
Distractions 100%. Crazy to me how people were less distracted trying to navigate with a paper map or atlas than they are today. Drives me bananas watching people drive. Rip along at 80 mph, lane adjacent is wide open. Come up on a truck doing 65. Think we move over before... naw I can't think that far ahead so I'll just slam on my brakes slow to 60 then move over (in front of me because I planned ahead and moved over) and now slow me down to 60 mph because I can't be bothered to speed back up.
The problem with pulling peoples licenses is the same as DUI drivers. Taking the license does nothing, they just continue to drive. Its not super easy to identify a driver with a suspended license driving around. You can't pull a car over because the registered owner has a suspended license. You have to find another reason or positively identify.
I rarely wrote traffic tickets as the po-lice. If you got one from me you did something egregious or talked yourself into one. Traffic tickets are nothing but revenue generators. As Kevin said driving needs to be a privilege again, and until its thought of that way again things will just continue to degrade. IMO some currently lesser traffic offenses should carry more weight. Make it a real penalty for them, hit them in the wallet, not just one small fine in court and you're done. If "crime" has no consequence it just continues, I give you Portland for an example. If someone is caught driving without a license, suspended, revoked etc etc.... to bad so sad that car belongs to the state. Sold at auction, money given to victims of motor crimes. So sorry you just bought that 40k car, that will help a lot of people.
We as a country have become softer than two ply. We need to stop worrying about having three bathrooms or who's feelings are being hurt, and solve real issues in this country before we go the way of Rome.
/soapbox
www.ksl.com
