Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Jeffersonville newspaper plucks the low hanging fruit: "Driving demands our full attention."


I remember back in 2016 when the Jeffersonville newspaper's editorial board applied the same level of safe-driving scrutiny to Chloe Allen's death.

Wait -- no I don't.

After all, the editorial board was silent when Mrs. Allen was killed by a driver while in the act of trying to cross Spring Street. City Hall joined in the complicity of silence, and I don't intend to let either of them forget it.

This said, the board's most recent utterance is solid, although "put your goddamned cell phone down and pay attention" might have been made more explicit.

Here's the big takeaway: Having properly used the word "driver" in the editorial rather than car, truck or vehicle, are we to surmise a long overdue change in editorial policy?

In short, no more, "Car hits pedestrian," right?

Yes, it may be Autocentrica USA, but we're never going to get traffic safety right until drivers are held responsible for control of their cars (not the other way around). How we conceptualize a problem plays a large role in resolving it.

Just saying.

Our Opinion: Driving demands our full attention

Crashes can happen in an instant. Stories of drivers becoming distracted — reasons vary from spilled drinks to dropped items, from crying kids to ringing cell phones — are plentiful.

Sometimes drivers make poor judgment calls, passing in heavy traffic, hopping lanes when in a hurry, consuming a beer or two before getting behind the wheel ...

 ... The tragedy serves as a reminder of the dangers of driving. Jumping in the car or pickup truck is a part of our daily lives. It’s so routine that it’s easy to forget the basic tenants of safety.




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