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535+ dead in Ohio from COVID-19 in July.
Somewhere around 1,000-1,100 people die in Ohio car crashes every year. TOTAL. https://twitter.com/jake_zuckerman/status/1290632123385249792
Somewhere around 1,000-1,100 people die in Ohio car crashes every year. TOTAL. https://twitter.com/jake_zuckerman/status/1290632123385249792
The coronavirus is a uniquely difficult challenge in relation to health, public policy and messaging. It's impossible to draw a perfect comparison to something else.
But abiding traffic laws affects your safety and that of other drivers. So let's think for a second.
But abiding traffic laws affects your safety and that of other drivers. So let's think for a second.
We require you to be a certain age to drive. We mandate seatbelts and car seats. We demand you stay in your lane and follow the speed limit.
Your lights must be on in the dark or when it's raining. You must indicate which direction you are turning. And a million other rules.
Your lights must be on in the dark or when it's raining. You must indicate which direction you are turning. And a million other rules.
Despite all those laws, people *still* get into crashes.
I spent a lot of time reporting on traffic safety in rural Ohio. One thing traffic engineers will tell you is it's difficult to fully plan/account for human behavior. But we do our best...
I spent a lot of time reporting on traffic safety in rural Ohio. One thing traffic engineers will tell you is it's difficult to fully plan/account for human behavior. But we do our best...
Traffic engineering is both proactive ... we install rumble strips on the sides of roads to protect drivers who doze off.
...and reactive: on a rural highway in Vinton County, they installed rumble strips on the center line following a series of left-of-center head-on crashes.
...and reactive: on a rural highway in Vinton County, they installed rumble strips on the center line following a series of left-of-center head-on crashes.
After the latest in a series of crashes right outside my former newsroom, our community debated the best way to make the intersection safer. Shut it down? Put up a light? Lower the speed limit?
I don't recall anyone showing up to protest the concept of mitigating future crashes.
I don't recall anyone showing up to protest the concept of mitigating future crashes.
Some in Ohio cheer when law enforcement officials announce they won't enforce mask mandates in their communities.
How might those people react if a police chief said their department will no longer enforce speed limits in school zones?
That would be unthinkable, right?
How might those people react if a police chief said their department will no longer enforce speed limits in school zones?
That would be unthinkable, right?
Do you know who the Ohio State Highway Patrol director is? How about the Ohio Department of Transportation director? I'm guessing you can't name either.
Is that because people don't protest outside their homes with guns every time the state puts up a speed limit sign?
Is that because people don't protest outside their homes with guns every time the state puts up a speed limit sign?
Lawmakers and ideologues criticize the @ohdeptofhealth for posting cumulative totals of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
That's exactly what the Highway Patrol has done for years. Sometimes the # appears on highway signage as a direct warning. Where's the outrage?
That's exactly what the Highway Patrol has done for years. Sometimes the # appears on highway signage as a direct warning. Where's the outrage?
I could go on and on.
But the point is: it's remarkable how different we approach COVID-19 compared to other safety concerns in our society.
I suspect certain coronavirus skeptics would react differently if traffic deaths suddenly spiked to the current virus rates. /endrant
But the point is: it's remarkable how different we approach COVID-19 compared to other safety concerns in our society.
I suspect certain coronavirus skeptics would react differently if traffic deaths suddenly spiked to the current virus rates. /endrant
