Appropriate attitude

CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES

Safe driving involves both mental and physical exercise. I believe if we are to be safe on our highways, we need to look at both. First let us look at mental exercise. Attitude is the way we look at a situation and how it affects us.

What effect did getting a ticket have on you? Are you angry? If you are, at whom? Perhaps you are even seeking to place the blame on someone else or trying to make some excuse for your actions. If you think your receiving a ticket was unjust or unfair, there is a court of law that will make that decision. However, you have chosen this driver improvement course as a way to resolve this action. Now assume your place of responsibility and go forward. Can we say you have given yourself a lemon? Now what are you going to do about it? Are you going to be sour, or are you going to make lemonade? What do you think is the difference between Helen Keller and someone you might know who is deaf and blind? My answer is attitude. Please understand that life is exciting and fun, but not always fair. Who promised you a rose garden? I think if you can rise above the little things in life, and a traffic ticket is definitely a little thing, then you can rise above bigger things. Obeying the law is the right and fair thing to do. Treating others the way you want to be treated. Is that too much to ask? Would you get upset if the team playing your favorite team was playing unfairly and was not abiding by the rules? Seeing what we can get away with may seem like the American way today, but I am sure the people who died on Florida's roadways last year would not think so. I think if nothing else than just human decency, would this not motivate us to do what is right and fair. Let us be fair to ourselves, our family, and fellow travelers on our highway. Do you expect others to obey the law? Of course you do. Why then should another not expect the same of us?

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. Ultimately, we are in charge of our attitudes.³

Responsibiility

The purpose of this exercise is to determine the responsibility of Mr. Driver. Did you notice that the heading on this page is spelled incorrectly? Did you notice the extra "i"? This was done intentionally to prove a point. The point is that most of us have taken the "I" out of responsibility. This is common in today's culture. When the objective is to find the closest person or circumstances to pass the buck to so we can be excused. We do it every day. Taking the "I" out of responsibility in our driving can lead to serious problems, such as crashes that result in serious injury or death. We need to realize that our responsibility, along with courtesy and common sense, has been dismissed for the sake of convenience. The best way to prevent a problem is to correct an attitude. And this is, after all, the Lowest Price Traffic School, right?

Let us describe the situation for you. Any-town Elementary School is on the west side of a two-lane road with 12 foot lanes separated by a broken yellow line. The school, complete with parking lot, is surrounded by an open field on its side of the road, and woods on the opposite side. 1,000 feet south of the school on the other side of the road is a sign with a blinking light. The sign indicates that the area in question is a school zone with a speed limit of 20 miles per hour when the light is blinking. Two girls are walking south, away from the school, on the sidewalk on the west side of the road. A boy is running after them. The distance from the sidewalk to the school is 50 feet. Across from the school, a blue car is parked on the shoulder of the road, directly in front of a "No Parking" sign. A red car is stopped in the northbound lane, with skid marks leading up to the car. The skid marks indicate that the car was moving at 20 mph when the driver slammed on the brakes. A girl's body is lying in front of the red car (Not shown on the diagram).

School Zone hours: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
School Dismisses: 2:30 pm
Crash Occurs: 2:35 pm
Mrs. Ima Mother vs. Mr. Jay Walker Driver
How much is Mr. Driver responsible?

100% 75% 50% 25% 0%

Mrs. Mother's Statement

"This happened on Mary's 11th birthday. We had planned a birthday party at the local water park. We live about 18 miles from the school. It takes about an hour and a half for Mary to get home by riding the school bus. If she had to ride the bus, then we would have to travel about 45 minutes to get back to the water park. We could save a lot of fun time if I just picked her up from school. That morning, I took Mary to the school and parked across the street in front of the school. The parking lot is a very dangerous place, since all of the vehicles must use it, like the buses, teachers, parents, and the like. Besides, if I stopped out front I could watch her go into the school. As I dropped Mary off I gave her a note for her teacher telling her about our plans, and to call me if there was a problem. As Mary got out of the car, I told her not to run and to look both ways before she crossed the street. She did look both ways and she did not run. I saw her go into the school. Not hearing from the teacher all day, I assumed I could pick her up as planned. I arrived at the school around 2:35 P.M. after stopping to get ice for the party. As I stopped, I saw Mary standing just outside of the door of the school. We waved and she started walking toward the car. After watching her for a few seconds, I looked to see if there was any traffic coming. There was a car heading in our direction, but it did not look like it was going very fast. I watched it for a few seconds and then turned back to Mary. She was running by that time, so I again glanced at the car. It was much closer now. Several things ran through my mind. I decided in a moment to blow the horn, but before I could, I heard the squealing of tires, and a thud. I looked; saw the car now stopped, and Mary, lifeless on the pavement.

Mr. Driver's statement

I am familiar with the school zone, as I go through the area several times a week on my way home. I know what time school lets out and when there are children on the road. Today, I got off work early and was on my way home since it was a nice day. I decided to mow the yard. As I came to the school zone I slowed to the 20 mph limit. There were some children on the sidewalk coming toward me, and I could see a blue car on the east side of the road in front of the "No Parking" sign. I looked over at a boy running toward a couple of girls walking down the sidewalk. As I looked to the road again, I saw a little girl run out ahead of me. I slammed on the brakes, but could not stop in time. Everything in my car is in good working order and I was feeling fine up until the crash.

In your opinion, by expressing in percentage:

WHAT IS THE DRIVER'S RESPONSIBILITY?
WHAT IS THE MOTHER'S RESPONSIBILITY?
WHAT IS THE CHILD'S REPONSIBILITY?

Mother's Responsibility - 100%

1. The Mother was illegally parked both in the morning and in the afternoon. Both times, she should have been in the parking lot.
2. The Mother arrived at the school after classes had been dismissed. Not only did this take away the Mother's opportunity to cross the road with her child, but it increased the likelihood of the child becoming impatient and running instead of walking.
3. The Mother was aware of the vehicle while it was still at a distance, and failed to warn the child of it until it was too late.

Child's Responsibility - 100%

1. The child should have followed her mother's instructions to walk and not run.
2. The child should have been aware of the approaching vehicle.

Driver's Responsibility - 100%

1. Seeing the first two girls should have slowed the driver down. Always plan for children to do the unexpected.
2. Seeing the running boy should have put the driver on full alert. The boy may have run into the street himself or caused the girls to run into the street.
3. Seeing that the children were on the sidewalk, he should have deduced that school was out. Also, seeing an improperly parked car, he should have prepared himself for the eventuality that a child could run to or from the car or that the car could pull out in front of him.

How Much Are We Responsible? 100%?

1. In most crashes with two or more drivers, we both contribute. It is possible that they did not contribute equal amounts, but they are both responsible. One or both may or may not have violated the law. Contributing to a crash and violating the law may be two different things.
2. Just because one party does an unsafe act does not mean we are not responsible for our own actions in an attempt to avoid the collision.
3. We are responsible to have our car under control at all times.
4. If someone runs a red light in front of us, we are not justified to strike them.
5. In a way, we are our brothers' keepers.

Responsibility is not a pie that can be sliced up, a portion for each. Responsibility is like air, there's more than enough for each of the characters - the mother, the daughter, and the driver all could have prevented this tragedy from occurring regardless of the behavior of the other characters.

F.S. 316.183 (1) states that "No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing. In every event, speed shall be controlled as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle, or other conveyance or object on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to use due care."

As we drive, we must be able to identify possible problems ahead of us. The law calls for us to drive having regard for the actual and potential hazards in existence.

What were some of the potential hazards in the school demonstration?

1. School Zone - A reduction in the lawful speed limit.
2. Children walking on the sidewalk.
3. A child running on the sidewalk.
4. A car parked in the "No Parking Zone".
5. A person sitting in a parked car.
6. A parking lot, with vehicles entering and exiting.
6. Possibility of unseen events - a child petting a dog in front of a parked car.

Speed Adjustments

The fact that the speed of a vehicle is lower than the prescribed limits shall not relieve the driver from the duty to decrease speed when approaching and crossing an intersection. When approaching and going around a curve, when approaching a hill crest, when traveling upon any narrow or winding roadway, when special hazards exist or may exist with respect to pedestrians, other traffic, or by reason of weather or other roadway conditions. The speed shall be decreased as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle or other conveyance on or entering the street in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to use due care.

Speeding may not be a direct cause of a lot of crashes, but it does take its share. Why do we put so much emphasis on speed? Because when speed is involved, everything is more serious. Ask yourself, "Why do I speed?" Some typical answers are: late for work, late getting home, late for an appointment or no reason at all! We are trying to run the clock back. Before we speed, maybe we should ask ourselves, "What will we gain by speeding?" Are we trying to save time? Let's take a look at that for a minute. You have a twenty-mile trip to make. If you go the speed limit, which is 55 miles per hour, it will take you approximately 21 minutes and 48 seconds. However, you are late, so you are going to travel at 75 miles per hour, so that will only take you approximately 15 minutes and 59 seconds. That is a saving of 5 minutes and 49 seconds. You are stopped by a highway patrolman and it takes him 10 minutes to write the ticket. Time taken to sign up for class, which even by the phone takes 5 minutes. Time taken to complete this course (4 hours). What happens if another vehicle stops in front of you and you are going too fast to stop or something happens to your car? You really are going to be late and who knows, the death rate in Florida may go up one more number. We didn't even mention the money you spent on your citation; paying for this course or the money you lost by not showing up at work.

I remember when my wife and I were going to the west-coast. She was asleep (or at least, that's what I thought) when we were west of Okeechobee on State Road 70. I let my speed get up above 60 miles an hour, when, all of a sudden, she hit me with a pillow. I said, "What are you doing?" and she replied, "Slow down! I don't want to give any of my money to Okeechobee County. I said "What do you mean?" She replied "I may want another pair of shoes." Now my wife already has seven pairs of shoes. I was asking myself, "What in the world does she want with another pair of shoes?" What she was telling me was that when we pay a traffic fine, we have bought something that we cannot wear or eat. I guess that really is a waste of money. If you had the money back that you spent for this ticket, what would you do with it?

Staying out of dangerous situations is a full time job. The time that you spend traveling on our highways is not the time to be talking on the phone, combing your hair, shaving, or even having breakfast. Have you ever had a cup of coffee in one hand, sausage biscuit in the other and were driving with only your leg? That is a prime example of doing too much, putting yourself and others at risk.