I guess I shouldn't have implied that I had good street skill on a bike in yesterday's post. This morning I barely made it 100 yards from my building before rolling over a drain, blowing my front tire, and flying over the handlebars. I banged up my knee, hip, and elbows, but other than that I'm fine. I wasn't going particularly fast.
On the highways, excessive speed increases the trauma of accidents. Georgia's new "Super Speeder" legislation, which went into effect this January 1, adds $200 to the speeding ticket fine for drivers going above 75 miles per hour on a two lane highway or 85 on a three lane.
The interesting aspect of this legislation is the incentives involved. The purported primary goal is to slow drivers down to reduce injuries and deaths on the road. Lawmakers anticipate a secondary perk: an estimated $30 million in much-needed revenue in the first year, which will be used for our trauma system. The connection between "super speeding" and traumatic injuries makes this a logical funding stream.
So it seems like a win-win situation. One possibility is that the law will make people slow down and save lives. The second possibility is that the speeding will continue, but at least our trauma care system will improve. The second possibility is less preferable than the first, but still an improvement over the current situation.
The only potential downside is that the state is also running advertisements urging drivers to slow down, and given the state's drastic need for revenue, the advertising might not be as vigorous as it could be. The state is essentially getting paid for a behavior they are attempting to discourage--a kind of perverse incentive. I like to think that this won't end up being a problem, and that everyone involved will be good-hearted enough to keep human life the top priority. It wouldn't hurt for independent groups to run their own road safety campaigns. By independent I mean groups that are not impacted by the revenue gained from super speeders, for example student groups or nonprofits.
I don't know if anyone is reading this yet, but if you are: drive and bike safely!
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This legislative effort really doesn't make any sense - as a state revenue source or a behavioral deterrent.
ReplyDeleteBy the time you factor in the cost of pulling over a "super speeder" (patrol officer, patrol car, speed detection equipment, and related maintenance, fuel and insurance costs) I'd doubt the $200 covers the costs of issuing the ticket.
The geographic regions where "super speeders" are most abundant and most likely to cause severe traumas are also the areas where patrol units are least available to enforce highway traffic speeds (metro Atlanta). Patrol units simply have much higher priorities in dense urban areas. Nothing short of an entire battalion of patrol units is going to actually get Atlanta drivers to drive the 55mph limit on 285, 75, 85, or 400.
With driver behavior as poor as it is, its amazing we have the trauma load we do. Atlanta commuters tend to drive at 80 mph with 10 feet between cars in traffic - its a wonder there isn't a multi car carnage every day.
I suspect the state isn't actually looking to change driver behavior. Rather they are seeking to leverage existing local patrol assets in suburban and rural areas that have more time to enforce local speed laws on roads and highways.
In other words the state is cashing in on rural speed traps to pay for urban trauma centers. I'm sure non metro trauma centers will see some revenues but I bet the lions share will support urban centers.