The Elephant in the Bedroom  added 12/31/00

Automobile Dependence and Denial - impacts on the economy and Environment 1993

Skyaid Comment: Skycars will likely be far safer than automobiles:
flown by trained and alert pilots
no road-rage
very fast reactions in 3 dimensions rather than just 1
vehicle in good operating order
excellent visibility
no ice or pot-holes on the road for the Skycar travel

Chapter 6 Safety and Commonsense

We are not suggesting that the Gulf battlefield was safer than American highways; there were somewhat fewer Americans in harm's way in the Gulf War theater. However, if we consider that the exposure to traffic on the home front lasted, for most Americans, only two hours each day, we conclude that Americans in the Gulf were only 30% more at risk than those who spent those same days on the highways "safe" at home.

Streets and roads are public ways that should be safe for everyone. Of course, that's far from the case. Safety comes in graded steps. When among bicyclists, pedestrians are at greater risk than the bicyclists; while on the road, bicyclists are at greater risk than motorists; and motorists are at greater risk than truck drivers. Pedestrians are at the greatest risk of all.

Direct threat to life and limb is not the only concern, since survival in a hazardous environment creates stress and a certain loss of freedom. The choice of making a trip on foot or by bicycle is weighted by the risk from automobiles; we make the trip by auto to reduce our personal risk. By doing so, we increase the risk to others.

Fearing for children walking to school, their parents often drive them. Children are restricted to their yards and sidewalks and denied the freedom to visit friends across the street. Traffic hazards are a serious affliction even to those whose lives and limbs are spared. Although also at risk, the motorist is both the originator of the risk and, yet, is comparatively safe when compared to the pedestrian.

The automobile is dangerous for inherent reasons. It operates in a crowded and competitive environment where skill, acuity, and conscience are needed to maneuver safely. The automobile/freeway system requires large numbers of vehicles to move numbers of people. The potential for collision between vehicles increases exponentially with the number of vehicles. Collisions increase at a more rapid rate than the rate of increase in the number of vehicles.

The mechanical condition of the vehicle is left to the driver whose knowledge, wealth and level of concern must be sufficient to maintain the vehicle in a safe condition. Regular preventive maintenance cannot be ignored until the reminder of a breakdown; brake failures can be disastrous. Overhauls, brake checks, oil changes, lubrication antifreeze and brake fluid additions—are not tasks which arouse enthusiasm. Public transport relieves the traveler of this responsibility. Automobile maintenance, on the other hand, must remain on the minds and consciences of the millions of individuals who own and operate them.

The respective responsibilities of motorist and train operator (particularly when the train is operating along a reserved right-of-way) are illuminating. Maneuvering an automobile is challenging and distracting. The probability of accidents is increased by alcohol, illicit drugs, tobacco and certain prescription drugs; ice or gravel on the roadway adds to the hazard.

The train is guided by tracks and flanged wheels along a line clear of obstructions with signal systems to warn of obstacles. The train comes to a halt when a signal is overlooked. "Dead-man's control" stops the train if the driver is incapacitated. Trains are fitted with interlocks for doors which cannot be opened unless the brakes have been applied.

As the community becomes ever more automobile-dependent, all citizens, even those who are inept, are forced to drive because an adequate alternative is no longer available. In spite of the risk, the driving privilege must not be denied to anyone. The drunks, the recreational drug users and the mentally incompetent must also drive—for the same reason. Our dependence on automotive vehicles having destroyed alternative transportation choices, therefore, has made a productive life without an automobile decidedly unpleasant, if not impossible.

The automobile uses the public ways; in theory, everyone has an equal right to travel. The automobile endangers others such as pedestrians, as well as drivers and passengers. Despite the greater risk to the pedestrian, both driver and pedestrian are regarded as equally responsible under the law.

Where an accident results in death or injury to a pedestrian, the driver may be absolved if there has been no negligence on his part. In choosing the automobile, the driver should assume full moral and financial responsibility. The pedestrian and bicyclist must not be punished with death or dismemberment because of their choice of walking or bicycling.

In deciding to drive, the motorist should be made to accept the responsibility of imposing risks on others. The additional hazard imposed on pedestrians, bicyclists, passengers and other motorists is the direct result of this decision. Furthermore, it is commonplace to encounter drivers who act aggressively, thereby increasing accident probability.

Even if we drive defensively, we are hard-pressed to protect ourselves. Driving requires interaction with many others, among whom are percentages of rage-filled, immature or deranged individuals. Like the handgun, the automobile puts far too much power in the hands of the few who might abuse it.

The operation of large numbers of vehicles, many of whose drivers possess questionable levels of skill and responsibility, is inherently hazardous. National casualties—45,000 deaths and half a million permanent injuries each year—are too high a price to pay for anything, including mobility. The number of automobile deaths we suffer each year are equal to those suffered by the nation in the entire eleven years of the Vietnam war. Automobiles have already killed far more people in the United States than in all of the wars in which the nation has been involved since 1776.

The automobile is the greatest single cause of death among young people. The 16 to 24 year-old age cohort is the only American population group whose life-expectancy is less than it was in 1904 because traffic deaths and gun-shot wounds hit that age-group with the greatest intensity. Adolescent, young males are risk-takers, as attested to by the insurance premiums charged to these drivers. Although auto insurance actuaries may appear to be arbitrary and inequitable when it comes to "redlining" and other practices, they have excellent data and adequate reason with regard to age-related risks.

Freedom of the streets depends on the mode of travel. Walkers and bicyclers can use the streets only with great care but drivers are allowed the greatest possible freedom.

Pedestrians are supposedly protected by laws providing safe crosswalks. Because these laws are difficult to enforce, crosswalks are often removed in the name of safety. It is argued that crosswalks give pedestrians a false sense of security by encouraging them to exercise their right to cross the street. This is the equivalent of placing citizens in prison to protect them from a possible mugging.

Elevated stress levels associated with driving degrades our health and the quality of our lives. Coupled with a sedentary life-style these stress patterns result in increased incidence of stroke and heart attack.

Anonymity and the ability to immediately leave the scene recommends the automobile as a criminal's companion. Statistics (Germany, 1960s) show a correlation between auto ownership and crime. In this country, the neighborhoods immediately surrounding on-ramps to urban freeways are known to be attractive to burglars.

Those who can, remove their families from the presence of the automobile. Homes located on cul-de-sacs are regarded as more desirable. Gated villages and other forms of car-free communities which exclude traffic have become more common. These clustered villages can be designed with amenities, stores, schools and medical offices within walking distance of homes. Dependable transportation connects the community with the nearby metropolis. Where there is less reason to own and maintain an automobile, the citizen lives better and safer; everyone is better off. If one of the goals of civilization is the increased bodily and spiritual security of the individual, the automotive vehicle is the enemy of civilization and of progress.