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Abstract
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Today in the United States, we have more than 68 million registered vehicles, operated by more than 78 million licensed drivers. We have at least one car per family, and every one of these automobiles travels on the average of 10,000 miles per year. More than 6 of every 10 employed Americans are transported to work in an automobile, and the auto takes us on 85% of all our vacation trips.
Without doubt, the motor vehicle has made an immeasurable contribution to our civilization, culturally, socially and economically. We have, however, paid the toll of misery, suffering and death. Since the advent of the automotive age, approximately 2 000,000 people in this country lost their lives as a result of accidents, and over 100,000,000 people suffered disabling injuries.
Is it possible to halt this mayhem? Is it possible to make - and keep - our streets and highways safe? We all know two things for sure about motor accidents: (1) all are preventable, (2) most are caused by human failure. Almost everyone who analyzes the traffic safety problem will agree that it results from the inter-relationship of four basic components: The Vehicle; The Driver; The Highway Facilities; and the Traffic. This is elementary, but when we consider possible solutions to the problem, the picture becomes very complex.
Safety on today's streets and highways requires a knowledge of inter-related aspects which were not evident in the not-too-distant past. Analysis must be made of those factors involving physics, chemistry, biology, psychology and engineering, particularly as they affect the competency and safety of the driver. Undoubtedly then, we in our attempts to alleviate the ignorance of many of our present day drivers, must think in terms of driver education. |