Designing roads for drunks
People make bad decisions. Road design can mitigate the damage.
Last week an 18-wheeler for Amazon plowed into standstill traffic on I-35, killing five and sending 11 others to the hospital, some in critical condition.
The driver has been charged with intoxication manslaughter; the police say that although he blew a 0.0 at the scene he showed signs of drug-related impairment.
The natural impulse in a case like this is to heap contempt upon the driver and call for more DUI enforcement and stiffer DUI penalties. That may help some, but if we want to save more kids from getting crushed to death by cars, then the answer is not just about getting tough on drunk drivers but designing roads for drunk drivers.
