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License to Kill?
"Current driving tests measure rudimentary knowledge of the rules of the road. At some point in a driver's life-usually very early- you must prove your ability to operate a vehicle under minimally difficult circumstances. Once licensed, many Americans are not road tested again for dozens of years. Adding cellular phones, babies, fast food, gigantic Sport Utility Vehicles, and other distractions-on top of a general increase in traffic and average speeds-only brews more gridlock and carnage."
Don't give people a LICENSE TO KILL, give them OPTIONS! Be it in fast trains or bicycles, we all are better off when the INCOMPETENT is off the steering wheel.
I like this: "Create a new traffic infraction: incompetence. The ticket has no fine, but the driver must take the new test. If they fail, they are downgraded to the new, limited-class license. They get one free retest and access to training. They must pass the new test within one year or lose their license."
Regrettably, waiting for the system to change by itself is expecting the dinosaur to evolve. He has grown too big and fat though, thriving on the chaos out there. We can thus say, "It's a Jungle out there!" ;)
Driving tests and real-life driving
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Politically, it is unpopular to suggest somebody who is physically impaired, who is emotionally unbalanced, or who is just plain stupid should not drive. But the fact is; bad driving causes lethal accidents and huge traffic jams every day, all across America. Bad driving wastes millions of gallons of fuel and adds tons of pollutants to our air.
America's urban freeways are no place for the incompetent, and it is thousands of times less expensive and more effective to get lousy drivers off the road than it is to build ever-wider freeways and more elaborate junctions. A more difficult driving test will accomplish this. Driving tests can also reinforce common sense, patience, and respect for others... things which are increasingly rare on American roads.
Current driving tests measure rudimentary knowledge of the rules of the road. At some point in a driver's life-usually very early- you must prove your ability to operate a vehicle under minimally difficult circumstances. Once licensed, many Americans are not road tested again for dozens of years. Adding cellular phones, babies, fast food, gigantic Sport Utility Vehicles, and other distractions on top of a general increase in traffic and average speeds-only brews more gridlock and carnage.
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America must not shrink from hard decisions about where, when and who is fit to drive. We must get the incompetent, the angry, the thoughtless and the decrepit off the road. At the same time, we must provide the opportunity to learn driving skills for people who need to drive and are able to do it well, regardless of income level.
Giving people options
Increased transportation options for people who cannot drive must coincide with efforts to weed out lousy drivers. Forcing people out of their cars, with no way to get to work, breeds outlaws and joblessness. Some ways include:
electric scooter and bicycle programs
bike-trains
high-speed rail
By eliminating the small percentage of drivers who, for whatever reason, simply cannot cope with modern driving, we can reduce the estimated 6.6 billion gallons of gasoline wasted by Americans who were waiting in traffic in 1997, reduce the air pollution associated with that colossal waste, and reduce the amount of frustration on our roads in general.
More options
Not all drivers are created equal, and not all driving situations require the same amount of skill. An individual who is a nightmare driving in Miami or San Francisco might be perfectly competent driving in the small community where they live, and could be licensed to do that. Similarly, driving a 400-horsepower, 8,000 pound vehicle is much more demanding than driving a small vehicle, and should require specialized skill testing.
State motor vehicle departments, with the assistance of the Highway Patrol, should have flexibility to apply a higher standard in a high-risk area. Limitations could be based on geography, population density, average speed, vehicle types etc. A test for the Los Angeles commuter might emphasize high-speed merging, traffic jams, and anger management. The privilege of driving in the wilds of Wyoming might require mastering snow and the effects of elevation. Pilot different tests in many cities. European counties with higher driving standards may be able to help.
One reader asked, "how can we enforce such a plan?" Good question. A
gradual transition seems best. Here are four sensible steps which could be taken over, say, five or seven years.
1. Automatically refer people cited for breaking existing traffic laws to a new, more difficult test. If they fail, they are downgraded to a new, limited-class license. They are excluded from driving in major metropolitan areas during high-use hours. They get one free retest and access to training. They must pass the new test within one year or lose their license. (This will be a great deterrent for those who are competent, but sometimes misbehave.)
2. Create a new traffic infraction: incompetence. The ticket has no fine, but the driver must take the new test. If they fail, they are downgraded to the new, limited-class license. They get one free retest and access to training. They must pass the new test within one year or lose their license.
3. Start going through the drivers rolls. Those motorists with the worst records and longest time since their last road test should be first for upgraded testing.
4. Limited drivers who receive a citation in the restricted areas during restricted times are considered to be driving without a license, and are prosecuted under existing laws.
Clearly, this will require money to train more driving instructors and examiners, and to modernize licensing systems. This is money well spent; it will recycle through the community many times, while making our roads safer and our air cleaner, and while reducing demand for expensive fossil fuels.
Response to this web page from the Sustainable Enterprises community:
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"I couldn't agree more that the licensing requirements in the United States needs to be changed. I lived in Germany for 20 years. Even though they have some 80 Million people crammed into the area of Washington and Oregon combined, they really can drive. They drive AWARE of what is going on around them. I returned to the Pacific Northwest a little over two years ago, and have never before seen so many incompetent and incapable drivers. People, just because it is big and has all the "safety" features, does not release you from being a RESPONSIBLE driver! If you can't drive it - park it and milk it."
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"Uncle George" is over 92 and still driving... fortunately in his neighborhood, which is not around here. I guess I'd better not tell you where he lives."
see first article below...
Driving Test
The devil is in the SUVs
funny driving rules
American Autobahn
Bad Habits
HOMEPAGE
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