I recently wrote an article about post-Covid automobile drivers. About how angry and careless they are. In a rush. Using their right or left turn signal light and, regardless of whether there’s sufficient space to do so, pull out in front of you as though you weren’t there.
Well, apparently what I’m experiencing is not a figment of my imagination.
According to an article in the December issue of “Atlantic” magazine, “More than 20,000 people died on American roadways from January to June, the highest total for the first half of any year since 2006. U.S. road fatalities have risen more than 10 percent over the past decade, even as they have fallen across most of the developed world.”
American transportation authorities and law enforcement agencies maintain that “… 94 percent of them…are solely due to human error.” The article, written by urban mobility and technology specialist, Harvard professor David Zipper, takes exception to the 94 percent human error posit, arguing instead that more than 6 percent is due to “systemic overload.” That is, due to America’s having fallen behind in infrastructure maintenance and repair, many car wrecks are caused by roadways that are in bad need of updating. You and I have painfully noticed this increasingly more so over the past several years.
With the recent passage by Congress of a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, we can only imagine a good news-bad news scenario. Yes, roadway repair is long overdue, but we will now experience extended delays and interstate parking lot frustration as construction begins. You and I have already been there, such as, for example, the I40-I75 junction heading east into Knox County from Loudon County, as certain lanes have already been closed due to construction. Grrr!
OK, what to do? Be careful. Be exceedingly patient. Alter expectations. Try to chill. Listen to your favorite music or audiobook. Tolerate…because this is going to be a long and frustrating haul.
And, what if you’re injured from an automobile wreck through no fault of your own? We at G3helpme have specialized for over 20 years in not only helping you get your life back but also, perhaps, more importantly, comforting and consoling you through your recovery.
Because you truly matter to us.
Turner Howard
