Sorry, Grandma, I was just texting

A useless sign.

The typical scenario goes like this:

“According to the Platte County prosecutor, Rachel N. Gannon, of Kansas City, was allegedly texting on her cell phone when she lost control of her vehicle and collided with a car driven by Loretta J. Larimer, 72, who was killed in the crash.” Larimer’s 10-year-old granddaughter was injured in the crash. She has recovered, but misses her grandma fiercely. Sixteen-year-old Rachel, charged with second degree murder, regrets her lapse. But that won’t bring Mrs. Larimer back.

And it’s happening a lot. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2011 (last year complete data are available), 3,331 people were killed and 387,000 injured in distracted driving motor vehicle accidents. Don’t discount the injuries – many are life changing, involving paraplegia, quadriplegia, or amputations. This carnage goes on year after year, and we don’t seem to have any effective solutions.

To make matters worse, distracted driving is a major factor in head-on collisions, exacerbating the probability of fatality or severe injury. In a head-on collision, the speed of the two vehicles must be combined to determine the total energy of the collision. While we normally think of violent, dangerous accidents occurring at highway speeds, texting brings these metal-twisting, human-blending accidents to our leafy residential streets. And it all starts with a drift from the lane of travel.

In a tidy bit of local reporting, Monique Ting, writing for the Attleboro Sun Chronicle, gives us insight into the thinking of these distracted drivers (“Sorry, but they still text and drive”, June 19, 2013).  In her story, a number of drivers admit texting, most regretfully. One unnamed driver enlightens us, saying “I would not text if I were driving anybody else besides myself.” This fortunately anonymous driver reveals an odd mix of suicidal sociopathy. He or she is peculiarly willing to kill himself, or you, or me, or our families, but not some incidental passenger in his own automobile. Freud would be perplexed.

Many states have passed laws prohibiting texting while driving. Missouri did, but that didn’t save Mrs. Larimer. The problem, as repeatedly described in this column, is the lack of certainty and severity of punishment. Transgressors don’t perceive adequate risk of punishment to change their behavior. Laws on the books and signs on the roadside alone will not do it.

Here is what we must do. First, police must begin to assiduously enforce laws already on the books which require drivers to stay within marked lanes. When a driver wanders out of her lane, she is impaired or distracted and should be immediately stopped and ticketed. The courts have a role, also, and that is in not forgiving or treating lightly such offenses. The message must be loud and clear – “Wander from your lane and you will be punished!”

A simple thing, it covers so many distractions and impairments, the targets of  dozens of existing separate laws. But enforcing this one law, lane discipline, would make a difference. Let’s make it happen. Loretta Larimer’s granddaughter is watching.

Celebrate! The war is over.

President Obama, in a major foreign policy speech at the National Defense University,  has declared that the war on terror is over. This is a very interesting tactic that might have been very useful if only known to Franklin Roosevelt. In June, 1944, sixty nine years ago, the beaches and fields of Normandy were a muddy, bloody cauldron as allied troops strove to wrest a beachhead from the Nazi juggernaut.  Over 200,000 American, British, and Canadian troops were killed or wounded in a campaign that could have been completely avoided if only Roosevelt had simply declared the war over.

But no matter. The current administration has elected to choose a path of lessening America’s role in the world. The president, his supporters, and confidantes are of the view that America is an enemy of freedom rather that its defender. The newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, has said: “Some anti-Americanism derives simply from our being a colossus that bestrides the earth. But much anti-Americanism derives from the role U.S. political, economic and military power has played in denying such freedoms to others.”

So in support of this view, the administration is cutting military budgets, withdrawing from the heartlands of radical Islamic Jihadism, and is ceding the world  stage to our benevolent competitors. Surely the military planners in the Kremlin and Beijing are celebrating this wondrous gift. And in the vacuum created by America’s withdrawal, they will surely lead the way in advancing the cause of freedom and individual liberty. (News item – Russia backs Syria’s despotic leader, Bashar Al-Assad, and promises to deliver advanced anti-aircraft missile systems).

In the meantime, while asserting that America in the world is too big, the administration is simultaneously arguing that American government at home is too small. Even though the president has declared the end of the war on terror, his National Security Agency is spending billions to collate the phone calls, emails and tweets of hundreds of millions of Americans. The IRS, soon to be responsible for enforcing the onerous terms of the “Affordable Care Act,” was somehow unable to respect the constitutional rights of those who disagree with the President’s politics. And the Justice Department is going after journalists, wiretapping and threatening charges for simply reporting the news.

Where is this heading? Unfortunately, nowhere good. By reducing America’s presence in the world, the cause of freedom will be harmed. Likewise, by growing government’s scope and power at home, our individual liberties are lessened. If you believe that freedom and democracy are fundamentally good, this is not good news. Is this truly the path we want to follow?

Summer is fun - but keep it safe for kids

Picnic Rock, Kennebunk River Maine c. 1900

In New England, Memorial Day weekend kicked off the unofficial start of summer this year with dismal, cold, wet conditions and two feet of snow in the mountains of Vermont.  A week later, our first official heat wave threatened with several days over 90 degrees. Our deepest quandary was when to safely retire the fleece and slickers. Such is life in the land of the lobster.

But as we more reliably glide into the embracing arms of  summertime, our thoughts turn firmly to sailing the salty reaches, picnicking the beaches, canoeing the ponds, and camping  the forests of our beautiful land. For an all too brief time, we can allow the snow blowers to gather dust.

The kids will be out on summer vacation soon and, while we want them to enjoy this interlude, as responsible parents and guardians we must care for their safety. The first step is to be forewarned with some facts.

Unfortunately, our current media structure, with ravenous cable news channels competing to fill a 24 by 7 news vacuum, has distorted our perception of threats. Hurricanes, tornadoes, child abductions, school shootings, gang wars, and terrorist bombs fill the airwaves with constantly recurring loops of carnage. We begin to feel that our kids would be safest if kept in locked dungeons. Perhaps the best advice would be to shut off the TV and consult the experts.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) annually publish tables of mortality itemizing the cause of death by age group. While not pleasant reading, these data can inform our efforts to keep our kids safe by imparting the risks arising from various sources. The first observation is that for children fourteen and under, the vast majority of non-medical deaths are accidental: that should be our focus. For 2010 (the latest year compiled), here are the top causes of accidental child mortality in decreasing order of occurrence:

1. Transportation (Automobile and other)
2. Drowning
3. Smoke, fire, flames
4. Poisoning
5. Falls 
6. Firearm discharge

Based on this, here are some recommendations for summer safety:

Transportation accidents (mostly automobile) are the leading cause of non-medical child mortality. Make sure that your younger kids are in approved safety seats and that the older ones are buckled up. Insure that this occurs in any car they might be riding in (friend, neighbor, relative). Don’t drive your kids after drinking and make sure that no one else drives them in that condition, either. This is the single most important area of child safety – be certain that you do all you can do.

Drowning is the next most frequent cause of child death. Drown-proof your kids – get them the training needed to assure water safety. Your pool should meet safety standards such as required gates and fences. Be nosy and assure that your neighbors' pools are kid-safe, too. When at the beach, an adult should constantly monitor any children in or near the water. While aboard boats, approved personal flotation devices (PFDs) should be worn. Don’t slack off – this is the second most frequent cause of childhood mortality.

Smoke and fire are the third most probable cause of death for children. Have a home fire safety plan. Practice and rehearse your evacuation plans. Smoke and carbon dioxide detectors must be operational. Again – make sure that this is true at any other home where your child may stay overnight.

The last three categories cause a much lower frequency of childhood death but cannot be neglected. Household cleansers, pesticides, and other poisons should be properly secured. Make stairs safe from falls – keep them clear of clutter and make sure that handrails are installed on both sides. Windows should be locked with screens in place. Firearms must be stored in a responsible manner, not accessible to children. As in the other categories, you should ensure that these precautions are in place anywhere your child spends time outside of your home.

Enough gloom and doom. Be sensible, but enjoy your summer. It is so brief, at least in the land of the lobster.