When I arrived to work this morning I took off my helmet, hung up my bike, changed into dry clothes, and sat at my computer to find that another one of my friends had been nearly killed in a hit and run accident on his bicycle. This is the third cyclist in a week’s time that I know of. In this instance, my friend’s near-executioner didn’t even bother to stop. However, if he had, the executioner may have still been spending his day sitting at home or at work doing exactly as he pleased. This situation and others like it are why I believe Texas should allocate more resources to patrolling the road ways, and should restrict driving privileges.
To do this, I believe Texas should divert a substantially larger chunk of the police force to patrolling the roadways, especially in congested urban areas. Traffic-related deaths in Texas in 2013 were three times as high as the murder rate, so it doesn't make sense not to have more police focused on the road. If police were rigorously patrolling these dangerous areas, then one of two or so things may occur:
1) Drivers would drive safely and correctly; or
2) Drivers would continue to drive recklessly, but would now be ticketed and prosecuted (hopefully before killing someone)
The next part of this would involve prosecution and suspension of licenses due to aggressive and reckless driving. According to the American Psychological Association, high-anger drivers engage in hostile thinking, take more risks on the road, get angry faster and behave more aggressively, and have more accidents. There needs to be a more serious penalty for endangering the lives of every person around you, and I believe this involves revoking and suspending individual licenses for the long term. Giving someone a hundred dollar fine and a wag of the finger does not deter them from continuing in the same behavior. Cars are half-ton bullets, and the drivers have their fingers on the triggers at all times.
In addition to saving lives via fewer car accidents, this suspension and revoking of licenses could add to the overall health of the Texan population. Due to having no license, the offenders would be forced to find new ways to get from point A to point B. This solution would force people to get up and move, to walk to a bus stop, or to get on a bike. We live in a state where obesity is a major health problem that may cause more deaths than murder and car fatalities combined (though I could not find an exact number), and this forced action could help to remedy this. Moving away from a sedentary lifestyle could also have another health benefit; according to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, regular exercise decreases stress levels and improves overall mental health, which the angry drivers could seriously benefit from.
In short, we have treated driving as a right rather than a privilege for too long. People are dying for no reason, and the people that kill them are getting off scot-free. This has to stop.
If you have questions about the legality of cyclists on roads, or laws regarding cyclists in general, please read the Texas Transportation Code or refer to this website that sums up some of the most important parts. Please remember that every cyclist and pedestrian you see is someone's son/daughter/mother/father/brother/sister/etc, and drive like every life matters, because it should.
I am scared to obtain my driver's license not because of my driving but because I have to be three times more aware of driver who may be reckless. I do not understand how the Texas Department of Transportation became lenient on people who obtain their licenses. Moreover, how can drivers take advantage of the road with their reckless driving? As you mentioned, driving is a privilege, not a right. Having more patrol on the road would possibly increase the chances of drivers becoming more aware of the road and make them remember the safety precautions each one should consider. Although, I would feel that drivers would feel more tense if they knew more patrol is on duty. In other words, the driver will not concentrate as well either. Anyone would feel nervous around authorities, even if he or she did not do anything wrong. I would think that having more scanners and cameras would be just as useful. If the driver did something wrong, a letter should be sent and that driver will go to the court for prosecution and suspension of his or her license.
ReplyDeleteMy classmate wrote a blog post about the need for more law enforcement officers patrolling our roads. I agree 100% with what he said. As a cyclist myself, this issue hits very close to home. I went on a ride this evening and not once did I see a police officer. When I'm out on the road, I am always nervous about whether or not the cars approaching me will give me enough space. On a few occasions, I've had oncoming traffic swerve into my lane as a sick "joke." There's nothing funny about taking someones life. If there were more officers on patrol, I feel that people would not do such reckless things.
ReplyDeleteSomething that really struck me was a link he posted about the injustices cyclists face. From getting arrested for not wearing a helmet, to drivers intentionally ramming cyclists with no penalty.