Community Update

Thanks to the Inquirer for the article on Aggressive driving.  

But the real story of aggression…

No one likes some guy - or woman - driving recklessly and sitting right on the tail of their car. Very dangerous.  But I don’t think speeding in a 25 MPH zone is necessarily as horrible as all get-out.  Face it - some of the 25 MPH zones are just ridiculous.

Sure, in a crowded store-lined street with lots of kids who just got out of elementary school, driving fast can be hazardous.  But 25 MPH on some of the 4 lane roads like Lancaster avenue, especially between towns?  25 MPH?  Really?  People can run faster than 25 MPH (Usain Bolt, 27 MPH in the 100 yard dash).  

Antiquated speed limits were posted 50, 60 years ago or more, when cars couldn’t be steered with precision and brakes couldn’t stop the 5,000 pound vehicles inside of a city block.  Today’s cars can turn instantly and stop on a dime. Well - at 25 MPH stopping distance is 15 feet (WikiAnswers.com).  Shorter than the length of your car.  

The real aggression I see the the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration spending tax dollars - 2.5 million of YOUR tax dollars - to increase the police presence to stop people on Lancaster avenue and around PA for minor driving violations.  Do we really need greater traffic law enforcement rammed at us…  for people driving 30 in a 25, or not wearing their seat belt?

I can think of a lot better use of that 2.5 million dollars than to pull people over who are not wearing their seat belt.  

But then, I can think of a let better use for our money than to replace all the hundreds of thousands of “No turn on red” signs with “No turn on red” signs with a red circle on them.  What was that about?  And putting a countdown display in seconds on all lights.  

I guess the NTHSA just has too much money.  Too much of OUR money.  That’s the real story the Inquirer should have run.  The story about Aggressive Government Spending.