Since April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month, I decided to write a topical article in combination with a community issue. As
many of you know, there was another motor vehicle crash at the Whitehead Rd round-a-bout where a car drove through
it, over an embankment, across a parking lot, and into a building quite a
distance away. The motorist seemingly
did not acknowledge the existence of the round-a-bout
when approaching from the southbound lane of Brunswick Avenue. This crash prompted many of you to comment
on community FB pages that the round-a-bout
is "awful," "dangerous," or "a mistake," etc. At the same time, many others said it is safe
and easily navigated if you are a competent and attentive driver.
I entered into the FB conversation
by stating my belief that the round-a-bout
is simple and safe if you proceed to it within the posted speed limit and yield
to the motorist on your left before entering it. I also acknowledged all of the documented studies
by traffic experts that conclude round-a-bouts
are safer than traditional T-intersections.
Well, expressing my opinion prompted some pretty lively and passionate
responses disagreeing with me. I always
enter the fray with the best of intentions. Still, there are times when (as I am told) I come
off as "wordy," a "know-it-all" (I can't help it--I tend to
have more information on these subjects due to my job!), "condescending"
(my wife's personal favorite), or "mansplaining" (which I am having a
problem identifying….I know, right?).
For all of those times, I offer you
a sincere apology. It is never my
intention to have that be what is taken from my participation. I use "many" words to better explain where I am
coming from--like right now! I am
endlessly a work in progress and strive to do better each day. Community conversations are never a bad thing…unless
there are personal attacks--and then the exchange of ideas and opinions becomes--unproductive. But I digress….
Though there are motor vehicle crashes all over
our community, the only crashes that are seemingly posted on community FB
pages are the ones that happen at this controversial round-a-bout. This, I
believe, adds to the deeper perception of it being dangerous. Even considering the number of motorists that
successfully navigate through it each day, crashes are the only incidents
that matter. Clearly, there are too many
at this location.
Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides that human error is involved in 94 to 96 percent of all motor vehicle crashes. Whether it is distracted driving by using a cell phone or texting, sleeping, or speeding (to name some of the main categories), it is clear that the motorist is much more likely to be the cause of the crash and not the design of the roadway. I have always been someone that believes in taking personal responsibility for my actions instead of looking to blame others or something else. A motorist should
always be in complete control of his/her vehicle, be cautious, competent,
attentive, and obey traffic laws. In my 26 years being involved in court traffic matters as a defense attorney, prosecutor and judge, our roads are unsafe due to human negligence almost all of the time (including poor weather conditions). These experiences surely have impacted my opinions on the round-a-bout issue.
As the Municipal Manager, however, I
have a different responsibility from my past roles. Candidly, residents' comments in these FB
posts helped push me to look at this from a different perspective. One that requires action to determine what,
if anything, can be done to make the area safer by factoring into the equation drivers
that drive carelessly for the variety of reasons I previously identified. It is a reality that must be considered.
I do believe that once the
streetscape is FINALLY completed, it will change the character of the roadway
and slow traffic down. But we are still
a while away from realizing the completion of that long-lingering project. As a result, I am putting together a task
force comprised of members from our police department, engineering department, our
traffic consultant, and myself to improve the area's safety for entry, use, and
exiting the round-a-bout.
I don't think there are any easy
answers. But a plan to improve the
signage directing the flow of traffic, improve the visibility of the round-a-bout,
and increase traffic enforcement in the area to slow motorists down seems
attainable. Everything will be on the
table for discussion.
I will report back to you all as we
progress in this process.
Here are some links that I have referenced in my article that you may find interesting:
April Is Distracted Driving Awareness Month | NHTSA
Distracted Driving | NHTSA
Human error as a cause of vehicle crashes | Center for Internet and Society (stanford.edu)
Crash Stats: Critical Reasons for Crashes Investigated in the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (dot.gov)
