Lakeland Mirror

Issue date: 10/24/02 Section: Opinions

I don't want to hear the word "surplus" from anyone in government until basic safety issues, like visible road lines, are taken care of. Granted, that wouldn't have prevented the state-history-making pileup on Interstate 43, but it might prevent many others.

In rain, for example, headlights reflect off of the water instead of road lines, making lines almost invisible. This is where 3D reflectors come in, those little plastic reflectors you see on very few highways. These rise above the water, catch headlight beams, and send them back to the driver—simple, yet rarely done.

But weather wasn't the only cause of the accident. People just weren't driving safely. If you think you can plow through blinding fog at 65 mph, I advise that you take a look at the part of I-43 that was blown away during the accident. It's still burnt in and the mini-craters haven't been filled yet. There's a growing congregation of crosses and flower wreaths on the road side. This is your example.

I think what happens on the highway is a version of the third person effect—you think you can handle a situation but nobody else can. Nobody can handle plowing through fog at 65.

If I shot myself in the knee, I'd think it fair to say I shouldn't have pointed the gun at my knee and pulled the trigger. Same goes for driving crazy in blinding fog. The fog is only partly to blame. The fog couldn't have been the only cause, otherwise a similar accident should've occurred on the the northbound lanes as well.

As hard as it can be to look at reality in a situation like this, we must realize the accident was mostly due to human error. Think when you drive: if visibility is zero, you have the right to pull completely off of the road until visibility returns. You have the right to slow down for everyone else's safety as well as your own. It would be difficult for me to hear someone say "I couldn't see" as an excuse for plowing a semi-truck into a four-door sedan at 65 mph.

If you were blind, would you drive? Would you fly a plane? Would you do anything at 65 mph? I wouldn't. The driving that day was crazy.

Mourn the tragedy; let it dwell in your mind for some time. But let it be a lesson.

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