Understanding the Rules of the Road Common Courtesy and Rules
Throughout the years cars haven't changed much (still just a steel chassis with an engine and other electrical devices) but thankfully the laws for safety have. In the years where we have been more at risk of car crashes our government has boosted our wellbeing to the point where you can't even turn your head without getting a ticket. But maybe instead of having silly misdemeanor laws that tell you when and where you can park your car and who you can or can't have in it at that time, but, there's a little thing called the speed limit' that the government should worry more about. If our government/ local governments paid a little more attention to what actually happens when people don't obey the speed limits and also don't pay attention when they're behind the wheel maybe there would be stricter laws and greater fines. Such as, an increase in fines after a certain hour and more of a police presence patrolling the streets. Also, offenders of the hopeful laws should be required to take a driving course, pay a fine of up to $5,000 and/or serve a sentence of 90 days in prison.
This rant comes from an experience that I have just recently, as in two hours from when this article was written, experienced. Me and my girlfriend's brother where coming home from the Riverview Plaza off of Route 3 in New Jersey, and we had walked down the street to a cross walk that led to the Clifton Commons Shopping Center. Seeing as how the light had just turned red and we had the right away, we started to cross the street. I hadn't gotten but two feet from the curb when at the same time a white car came off of Route 3 at 20-25 mph. I noticed as the car got closer that the driver, who was of Indian ethnicity, was not paying attention to his driving but had been turned around and talking to the person in the back seat of the car. Had he been paying attention he would have noticed that the light was red. Had he been paying attention he would have noticed that we were crossing the street. And, had he been paying attention I would not have been a temporary hood ornament for his car. After tumbling off the front the only thing that he had to say was sorry' and he drove off. I was in too much of a shock and too enraged to catch his license plate number, and he sped off before I could call the police.
As a victim of a hit-and-run I find that it is my duty to help speak up for new laws to be made that would help protect pedestrians from the dangers that we face, whether crossing the street at night, or even during the day. But one man can't be the voice of millions, we as the victims should voice our grievances to our government and hope that they listen, but the chances are we'd be better off just not walking at all because by the time any bill would pass through Capitol Hill it would be on its way to a garbage can execution before it would even hit the floor of the House. But for now, we should at least try and be heard, so remember that it's important to voice out about driving safely and maybe one day we will finally be heard.
