[fabsroman]

Classic,

Driving is a privilege just like owning a house, having health insurance, having money, etc. You DO NOT need to drive. Yes, driving makes life easier, but so do a lot of other things like money, education, health, etc. Everybody that passes the driving test is given the privilege of a driver's license. You are allowed to continue driving until you demonstrate that you are no longer fit to drive. Very few Americans actually NEED to drive to live, we just choose to drive. My sister lives about 2 miles from where she works and could just ride a bike there or walk, but she decides to drive anyway. She lives the same distance from a Metro stop that would take her to Central Station in DC where she could pick up Amtrak to New York to visit her boyfriend in Manhattan, but she drives anyway. What most people fail to understand about driving is that more people die in the US in auto accidents each year than are killed in Iraq. In 2004, there were 42,636 auto accident deaths in the US and the statistics are close to that for the previous three years. Now, those are deaths. Who knows how many other people are injured, how many are paralyzed, etc.

Personally, I think auto laws are some of the most disobeyed laws I have ever seen. I drive by cross after cross in my area adorned with flowers for people that have been killed at that spot in the road. It is sad. Yesterday, I saw a guy driving an F-250 crew cab not even stop when he made a left turn at a 4 way stop. At the same intersection I was nearly creamed twice by cars that did not stop for the stop sign. Luckily, I could tell that they weren't going to stop so I didn't proceed out into the intersection. The speed limit on this road is 35, but when I am doing 40 people still pass me. Best of all, this is the road right outside of my townhouse. I am an avid cyclist, and if I told you about all the horror stories that I have experienced on the bike, it would take me days.

Simply put, drivers that continually break the law are a pet peeve of mine. I think the fines should be increased and the enforcement should be increased. If we save 10% of the lives lost in 2004, that would be 4,000+ lives saved.