Save gasoline, save lives

Sometimes the easiest and simplest things do the most good. If we'd go back to the 55 mph speed limit we could save so much gasoline and reduce accidents. We did it in the 70s when there was a gasoline crisis, and we could do it again. It wasn't intended to reduce accidents, but it did. Libertarians and conservatives hated it, and the speed limits were raised. Many do not want to do the most obvious, easiest safety and wealth saver. I remember how driving became so much more peaceful at 55 and there were far fewer accidents of all types--both serious and minor.

There was a horrible accident in Columbus last week-end--four teenage girls died. I think I read none was wearing a seat belt--it's the law, but it's not "cool." If we just had the guts to raise the driving age to 18, thousands of lives would be saved every year just by giving those immature brains a chance to mature.

The three high-school students — Cori Anne Lake, 16, her sister, Cristin Michelle Lake, 15, and Jessica Elizabeth Mason, 15 — died after their Chevrolet Monte Carlo collided head-on with a Dodge Intrepid Sunday afternoon on the southern Outerbelt, west of Rt. 62. Meanwhile, a passenger in the Intrepid, Tasha Conley, 19, of Columbus, died yesterday at Ohio State University Medical Center. Deputies said the Monte Carlo lost control on eastbound I-270, traveled onto the median, flipped and landed on its roof in the westbound lanes, where it was struck by the other car, which was driven by Jerry McGath, 19, of Columbus. Columbus Dispatch story

Teen drivers are lethal. You are more at risk even having a teen in the car--even one who isn't driving--especially a male. "The AAA Foundation analysis shows that from 1995 through 2004 crashes involving 15, 16, and 17-year-old drivers claimed the lives of 30,917 people nationwide, of which only 11,177 (36.2%) were the teen drivers themselves. The remaining 19,740 (63.6%) included 9,847 passengers of the teen drivers, 7,477 occupants of other vehicles operated by drivers at least 18 years of age, 2,323 non-motorists. The analysis also shows that 12,413 of these fatalities occurred in single vehicle crashes involving only the vehicle operated by the teenage driver. . . Two teens in a car increases the likelihood of a crash by 86 percent, three teens by 182 percent, according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University.
" Teen Driving Statistics

The teen brain: "New medical research helps explain why. The part of the brain that weighs risks and controls impulsive behavior isn't fully developed until about age 25, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some state legislators and safety activists question whether 16-year-olds should be licensed to drive.

Sixteen-year-olds are far worse drivers than 17-, 18- or 19-year-olds, statistics show. Tellingly, New Jersey, which has long barred 16-year-olds from having unrestricted driver's licenses, for years has had one of the lowest teen fatality rates in the USA." USAToday

It's really not that hard to save thousands of lives, if we just had the will. Even making it against the law for a teen driver to have a teen passenger would drastically reduce fatalities. And it's not even political.