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Abstract
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The man at the wheel of an automobile has a weapon at his command with the potentiality of a machine gun. Whether or not the normally peaceful citizen may, in an instant, turn into a voluntary or involuntary murderer, or a victim of suicide, does not depend just upon the safety features built into his vehicle, but on the psychic and physiologic status of the individual at the instant of human failure.
True vehicle failure may account for a proportion of fatal accidents and highway injuries, especially where the role of adequate mechanical maintenance is neglected, Seat belts (and I for one would not be without them for all passengers), soft padding, safety door catches, rounded corners, head rests, and effective reserve brakes, may all be important factors of highway safety. However, all these features are useless when errors of judgment of the driver are at stake, One cannot avoid all accidents. Some are due to the human failure of another. Further, a driver with almost a perfect record over years behind the wheel may doze for an instant, or be distracted for even a second or two, or even a fraction of a second, when traveling at between 60 and 80 miles per hour on the freeways with catastrophic results.
The physical and mental state of the individual determines his driving safety at any given instant. A normally alert, careful motorist may become a menace on the highway if he is suffering from any of the strong emotions, such as distraction, preoccupation, love, fear, hate, anger, worry, disappointment, or enters into a hypermanic state. Similarly, the above, if chronic, coupled with slow reaction time, especially in those of advancing years, low I.Q., and accident-proneness, in general, are factors that are not conducive to stable driving habits. These psychic incompatibilities with vehicle safety may be the result of, or aggravated by, the use of alcohol, antihistamine, amphetamine, sedatives, tranquillizers, narcotics, toxic elements in the environment, a sudden noise, or even a bee sting.
These modalities, too, may be factors in aggravating physical factors. Too long at the wheel without rest or other fatigue, somnolence, reactions to drugs (such as insulin), individuals who cannot hear the police or fire sirens, who do not see distinctly or whose field of vision is restricted, who are given to seizures, lapses of memory, or sudden attacks of pain, or those who have paralysis involving the extremities, muscles incapable of prompt response, or joints that interfere with the same, are all potential individuals who can be guilty of involuntary manslaughter, suicide, or both.
Carbon monoxide is the most voluminous toxic agent expelled from the bowels of the behemoth of the highways, It is highly toxic, and the recognition of its potentiality has received the special attention of the automotive engineer, industrial physician, air pollution sanitarian, and the legal expert involved in air pollution control and legislation.
In our early development of the motor vehicle, the gaseous effluent from combustion was relatively unimportant, and a leaky fire wall--even with all the curtains up to keep out rain--was not of great importance to the driver in his well-ventilated chariot. It was discovered quite early that a few minutes in a closed garage, with the motor running, could be lethal to man; or a hose attached to the exhaust pipe could kill gophers and prairie dogs in record time when directed into their burrows.
It is obvious that carbon monoxide concentrations in the driving compartment of automobiles, under certain conditions of traffic, reach concentrations that are inimical to the keenness of driving acuity needed on modern highways. It is recognized that the conditions affect drivers to different degrees of incapacity, Carbon monoxide may contribute to accidents on the freeways and by-ways. These incidents may involve the most expert and stable of our population, but it is more likely to be initiated by one who is rendered toxic by just a little additive to his already marginal system. Therefore, anything that can lessen the mental, visual, or physical acuity of a driver of a motor vehicle must be eliminated from his environment, for it is more important to remove a factor of accident than to provide a cushioned crash--as important as that may be. |