GUEST OPINION
Lee motorists must take driving seriously
BY JAY ANDERSON
With billboards in place on five major Lee County roads, the Stay Alive .... Just Drive! campaign has introduced a new traffic safety program to the motoring public.
The program was developed to encourage drivers to rethink their perspective on motor-vehicle crashes and increase awareness to reduce crash occurrences, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of injuries and fatalities.
Ultimately we would like to reach each motorist in Lee County with at least one message on average, every single day of the year stressing the philosophy of Stay Alert, Stay Focused, Stay Alive .... Just Drive !
The goal is to utilize all possible avenues, by holding drivers accountable for their actions, educating the public about the importance of road safety, curtailing the use of distracting electronic devices and other tasks not related to driving, and reinforcing the importance of practicing safe and lawabiding driving habits.
Most people today consider unsafe driving by others as a major personal threat to themselves and their families.
The majority of factors that contribute to traffic crashes are primarily behavioral in nature.
We believe it is imperative that motorist take driving seriously, recognize that we all must share the road, develop a mind set that will help them drive less aggressively, and remember to keep their eyes on the road and their hands upon the wheel.
Poor U.S. record
Currently, the only crash prevention program of any significance in the U.S. deals with impaired driving.
Critically important, the program fails to recognize the plethora of other circumstances responsible for crashes.
Speeding, distracted driving, unsafe towing and improperly loaded vehicles are just a few of the examples of major causes for crashes.
Add to these the number of inexperienced and poorly trained drivers, this truly becomes a recipe for disaster.
Statistics from a 30-nation industrialized countries road crash database shows the U.S. scores fifth-worst, with at least twice the per-capita automotive death rate of Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
Motor-vehicle crashes kill more than 43,000 people and critically injure several million more in America each year.
Crashes are the leading cause of death for children and young adults ages 3 to 34, and the leading cause of long-term disability, including brain and spinal-cord injuries, for all ages.
All to frequently referred to as "accidents" they are in fact crashes.
Accidents occur in the bathtub, on the stairs, or in the kitchen, but not on our roadways.
The adverse effect on the life, health, and welfare of our community is immeasurable.
In 2006 the economic impact from crashes in the State of Florida exceeded $14 billion dollars and continues to increase annually.
Preventable crashes
Rather than making our streets safer in the first place some of the past traffic safety philosophy was based on mitigating injuries, ineffectual at best amoral at worst - safe crashing versus less crashing. Today, traffic engineers are seeking funding support to conduct road safety audits on existing roads, and for new roads that are under design, so that a higher level of crash reduction techniques are identified and implemented. Both Lee County and Collier County are conducting Road Safety Audits.
We continue to build roads that are designed for speeds far greater than the posted speed limits even though speeding is viewed as one of the most serious causes of crashes.
A prime example is Lee Boulevard, which was the location of a fatality in 2006 where a young man traveling at an extremely high rate of speed lost his life after he collided with a school bus. The impact was severe enough to cause the bus to roll over on its side.
Experts suggest installing cameras at intersections to photograph the license plate of the violators and their recommendations are met with resistance. On the other hand, complaints continue to mount about the increasing number of drivers who run red lights. Without a change in state legislation, cameras will not be installed to reduce the number of violators.
Almost everyone knows an individual or family member whose life has been forever altered as the result of a crash, yet rarely are motor-vehicle operators held accountable for the deaths or injuries they have caused
In December 2005 a crash on U.S. 41 claimed the lives of four young people. The driver walked away with a speeding ticket, and continued to rack up citations in the months following the crash, while the families and friends of the victims carry the emotional scares forever.
Most crashes according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration are a direct result of dangerous and irresponsible driving. Thus they are preventable.
Join forces
We ask that all Floridians and visitors join together and adopt the principle that " if it's predictable, it's preventable " and acknowledge that traffic crashes are not accidents.
By adopting this perspective, each of us can aggressively work towards reducing the carnage on our highways and decide what standards are necessary to eliminate virtually all such occurrences.
Started as a local campaign, we are quickly gaining recognition statewide and see the potential to offer the program nationally, but can only do so with the support and assistance of our communities.
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution recognizing our efforts and declaring July 2 - 7 as Stay Alive Just Drive week, State Sen. Dave Aronberg, (D-Greenacres) and State Sen. Burt Saunders (R-Naples) are involved, and Lee Memorial Health Systems has joined us to increase awareness through the Trauma Center.
We are asking all branches of the news media, businesses, civic organizations, churches, schools and clubs to become Partners in Prevention and help support the initiative financially.
The United Way of Lee County, Inc. has joined our effort as a donation collection point. Checks can be made out to United Way of Lee County for the Stay Alive Just Drive program 7275 Concourse Way, Fort Myers, Fl. 33908.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with the program or seeking additional information can visit our web site: www.stayalivejustdrive. com.
- Jay Anderson is the Founder of Stay
Alive Just Drive traffic safety program. He is
a south Fort Myers resident and serves as a South Trail Fire District Commissioner, ¦
