A World of Tragedy

The World Health Organization reports that, each year throughout the world, about 1.3 million people are killed in traffic collisions. And up to 50 million are injured. Each year.

About half of the fatalities are occupants of motor vehicles. The other half are bicyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.

Drowsy Driving is a True Roadway Menace

For the past decade, most of the national conversation on traffic safety has involved alcohol, seatbelts and cell phones.

Now a new topic is rising in stature, and it is long overdue: Drowsy Driving. Many drivers would never drive drunk, or leave a seat belt unfastened, or send a text message. Yet those same people will sometimes drive while extremely sleep-deprived.

Drowsy drivers cause more than 1,500 deaths, each year, and about 71,000 injuries, according to government researchers. Plain fatigue kills and maims.

Some states are considering the prosecution of tired drivers and Congress is now researching the issue. We can expect some legislative enactments over the next decade. Even car makers are responding. Some models are being equipped with devices aimed at alerting motorists who may be nodding off.

Social theorists claim our competitive culture puts people under pressure to perform. With the weak economy, some are working two […]