tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/driving-safety-66472/articlesDriving safety – The Conversation2023-09-15T06:58:10Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2109892023-09-15T06:58:10Z2023-09-15T06:58:10ZWales’ residential speed limit is dropping to 20mph – here’s how it should affect accidents and journey times<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547541/original/file-20230911-21774-vlazi6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4608%2C3456&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The drop to 20mph in Wales will come into force at midnight on September 17. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/20-mph-speed-limit-sign-on-1166519551">steved_np3/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The default speed limit in residential areas in Wales will be <a href="https://www.gov.wales/introducing-default-20mph-speed-limits">reduced</a> from 30mph to 20mph from midnight on September 17. It will make Wales the first UK nation to adopt a 20mph default urban speed limit. </p>
<p>The new limit will apply to all “restricted” roads, which are roads in built-up areas with high levels of pedestrians. There are some exemptions and local authorities have been able to apply for certain roads to be kept at 30mph.</p>
<p>This change in the law has huge potential public health benefits, including decreasing the number of injuries and deaths from collisions, and may encourage more people to walk and cycle.</p>
<p>However, there is some opposition to the change, with concerns over journey times, additional costs to businesses in deliveries, uncertainties around its effect on vehicle emissions and the potential for increased frustration and road rage.</p>
<p>In bringing forward this change, the Welsh government has used the <a href="https://www.gov.wales/20mph-campaign-promotional-leaflet">strapline</a> “20mph. A bit slower but a whole lot better”, and has led the campaign with the promise of reducing collisions and saving lives. It says that in the time a car travelling at 20mph can stop, a car at 30mph would still be doing 24mph. It goes on to suggest that streets and communities will be safer, meaning people will walk more, improving health and wellbeing.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.wales/state-evidence-20mph-speed-limits-regards-road-safety-active-travel-and-air-pollution-impacts">Evidence</a> suggests the Welsh government is broadly correct. Reducing the default speed limit to 20mph will reduce casualties, providing drivers with more time to react if things go wrong. </p>
<p>Following the implementation of 20mph limits in <a href="https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/phr/XAZI9445/#/abstract">Edinburgh</a>, for example, the number of collisions in one year fell by 40%. There were 23% fewer deaths and serious injuries were reduced by 33%. </p>
<p>Walking and cycling may increase too. We know that higher vehicle speeds are a <a href="https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/15/6/369.short">barrier</a> to walking and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15568318.2021.1999539">cycling</a>, especially among <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-83982-744-020211002/full/html">older adults</a>.</p>
<h2>Opposition</h2>
<p>Not everyone in Wales is happy about the drop to 20mph. Several <a href="https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/245406">petitions</a> have attempted to stop the change, while the Welsh Conservatives <a href="https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-conservatives-planning-to-force-a-final-vote-on-20mph-speed-limit/">oppose</a> blanket reductions. Reports have also emerged of 20mph signs being <a href="https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/people-been-defacing-20mph-signs-27660830">defaced</a>. </p>
<p>A common complaint is that journey times will be slower. But a UK government <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/757307/20mph-headline-report.pdf">report</a> in 2018 looked at 12 case studies in England where 20mph limits were implemented, concluding that journey times increased by only 3% in residential areas and 5% in city centres, adding less than a minute to a five-mile trip.</p>
<p>Also, as traffic flows are often more interrupted in urban areas - with frequent junctions and traffic lights, for example - a slight reduction in maximum permitted speeds may smooth out the traffic flow, reducing perceived delays.</p>
<p>Driver behaviour is, of course, a complex subject. Some drivers simply do not want to slow down and feel they have a right to drive fast. Meanwhile, other drivers feel the pressure to conform with other people’s behaviour, fitting in with the prevailing norms on the road. </p>
<h2>Drivers’ opinions</h2>
<p>Charles was involved in a qualitative <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140514000383?via%3Dihub">study</a>, published in 2014, that attempted to categorise drivers’ opinions to work out how we might change attitudes and behaviour using the “diffusion of innovation” model, which is a theory that seeks to explain how, why and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. </p>
<p>In the study, drivers were sorted into categories of support for 20mph speed limits based on their answers to a series of questions. One group of “champions” was wholly supportive of 20mph regardless of others around them, even if tailgated or flashed by other vehicles. </p>
<p>In contrast, another group defined as “pragmatists” were more aware of others’ behaviour and were influenced by it, feeling the pressure to speed up. Many in this group had little awareness of speed limits in general, driving much more to the conditions or as others were around them. </p>
<p>And the final group of “opponents” tended to be strongly against speed limits. This tended to be reflected by how they set their own speed limits according to conditions. </p>
<p>The study suggested that champions respond well to information about the benefits of 20mph limits. But pragmatists need to accept that 20mph limits are normal and supported by most other drivers.</p>
<p>We know from the study that there is support for 20mph but also some ambivalence, which can be overcome after a bedding in period. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An aerial view of a residential street with 20 painted on the road in bold numbers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547756/original/file-20230912-21-fvdp8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/547756/original/file-20230912-21-fvdp8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547756/original/file-20230912-21-fvdp8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547756/original/file-20230912-21-fvdp8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547756/original/file-20230912-21-fvdp8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547756/original/file-20230912-21-fvdp8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/547756/original/file-20230912-21-fvdp8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The speed limit in this residential area in Pontypridd is already set at 20mph.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pontypridd-wales-july-2022-aerial-view-2179041355">Ceri Breeze/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The truth is that most people are not opposed to 20mph speed limits, but a sizeable minority are. Welsh government commissioned <a href="https://www.gov.wales/20mph-public-attitudes-research">research</a> suggests 80% were either slightly or strongly in favour of 20mph limits in 2021, but that this fell to <a href="https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2022-11/20mph-public-attitudes-survey-further-research.pdf">63% in 2022</a>. </p>
<p>This is not uncommon, however, as people’s support for change tends to <a href="https://www.gartner.co.uk/en/methodologies/gartner-hype-cycle">grow initially</a> but then falls off the closer it gets to implementation. Eventually, people may come around to the idea. </p>
<p>But it needs a government willing to stand its ground when negative public opinion emerges just before implementation, as we are seeing now.</p>
<p>It is time we stopped accepting death and injury in the name of freedom of mobility. Default 20mph speed limits are a good start but they must be accompanied by driver education programmes and police enforcement to be effective. And, of course, non-motoring road users still need more pavements, cycle lanes, safe crossing points and efficient and affordable public transport options.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210989/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles Musselwhite receives funding from Health and Care Research Wales.
Charles Musselwhite is Board Member of the Transport and Health Science Group (THSG)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Merriman has received funding for past research from the ESRC, AHRC, British Academy, and European Regional Development Fund. </span></em></p>The Welsh government wants to make residential roads safer and quieter but not everybody agrees with dropping the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph.Charles Musselwhite, Professor of Psychology, Aberystwyth UniversityPeter Merriman, Professor of Human Geography, Aberystwyth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2083572023-06-27T20:37:33Z2023-06-27T20:37:33ZAfter the Manitoba crash, Canada needs to rethink bus safety<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534154/original/file-20230626-7296-j4ekvm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C14%2C4985%2C3525&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The intersection along the Trans-Canada highway near Carberry, Man. where a bus collided with a semi-truck killing 16 people and injuring nine others. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/manitoba-crash-highlights-safety-concerns-about-canadas-highways-and-trucking-industry-207971">recent collision</a> between a bus and a semi-truck near Carberry, Man., which killed <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-bus-crash-victims-profiles-1.6885087">16 seniors</a>, is the latest fatal incident to raise concerns about bus and road safety in Canada. The crash shares similarities to other fatal bus crashes like the <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/humboldt-broncos-bus-crash">2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash</a> and the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5902629/serious-rollover-bus-crash-on-vancouver-island/">2019 bus rollover on Vancouver Island</a>.</p>
<p>Buses are one of the safest modes of transportation. However, these tragic incidents show that major crashes can result in significant loss of life, severe injuries and profound grief for entire communities.</p>
<p>Safety investigations into such collisions need to be conducted at a national level and by an independent body in the same manner air and rail occurrences are investigated.</p>
<h2>Road transportation is a provincial responsibility</h2>
<p>When it comes to road transportation, Canada adheres to an archaic <a href="https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/ResearchPublications/202204E#a3">regulatory framework</a> that can be traced all the way back to confederation. At the time, John A. Macdonald <a href="https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/files/pdf/MLIConfederationSeries_MacdonaldSpeechF_Web.pdf">argued</a> that roads should be a provincial responsibility with no federal involvement or guidance.</p>
<p>At the time, most roads were not paved and road vehicles were horse-drawn. Roads carried less national strategic significance than railroads and waterways which both became federally-regulated.</p>
<p>After confederation, Canada became the second largest country in the world by area, and roads became the lifeline of our transportation infrastructure system. However, roads still remain under provincial jurisdiction and that makes far less sense now.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People sit in a room with large portraits. An RCMP officer stands at a podium addressing them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534145/original/file-20230626-29-gxsgrx.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Family members of 16 seniors who died in the accident attend an RCMP press conference in Dauphin, Man. on June 22, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/The Brandon Sun - Tim Smith</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Improving road safety</h2>
<p>Canada’s lack of effective leadership of <a href="https://tc.canada.ca/en/corporate-services/transparency/corporate-management-reporting/transportation-canada-annual-reports/road-transportation">road transportation</a> is inconsistent with practices in many other developed nations. Improving road safety and standards should include developing national standards, guidance and dedicated funding sources (for example, gas tax) to support the construction and operation of road networks.</p>
<p>In 2018, Canada <a href="https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/publications/road-safety-canada-2020#Overall-Level-of-Road-Safety-in-Canada">ranked 12th</a> compared to other member countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in terms of road safety. </p>
<p>In 2016, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators published its <a href="https://roadsafetystrategy.ca/en/strategy">Road Safety Strategy</a>. The strategy aims to raise public awareness of road safety as well as improve legislation and infrastructure. However, progress has been slow and often hampered by a lack of systemic efforts to collect, analyze and share publicly relevant data and research.</p>
<p>To fill the gaps, non-mandatory guidance is being developed collaboratively by not-for-profit associations and inter-governmental forums such as the <a href="https://www.tac-atc.ca/en/about-tac">Transportation Association of Canada</a>, <a href="https://www.ccmta.ca/en/about">the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators</a> and <a href="https://www.comt.ca/#:%7E:text=The%20Council%20of%20Ministers%20Responsible">the Council of Ministers of Transport</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A damaged semi-truck on a road." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534161/original/file-20230626-15-x6xeh5.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The aftermath of the collision near Carberry, Man. The incident is the latest to raise concerns about passenger and road safety in Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Lambert</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Response to major road crashes</h2>
<p>In Canada, federal regulations govern transportation by rail, air and water. The safety of the users of these systems are under the purview of a federal watchdog, the <a href="https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/qui-about/index.html">Transportation Safety Board (TSB)</a>, which is overseen and funded by Parliament. This allows the TSB to investigate all matters related to these modes and to press all levels of government for change.</p>
<p>Roads are the exception. The TSB has no role in investigating road crashes or bridge failures no matter how catastrophic. That is usually left to provincial and municipal authorities. This stands in contrast to other countries like the United States, which <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Pages/default.aspx">empower a national agency to investigate highway safety</a>.</p>
<p>The TSB was absent from the <a href="https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/humboldt-broncos-bus-crash-13-recommendations-to-improve-safety-at-intersection">Humboldt Broncos crash</a>, the <a href="https://www.westernwheel.ca/beyond-local/investigation-complete-into-fatal-icefield-bus-rollover-5294681">Columbia Icefield crash</a>, the <a href="https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/uvic-says-it-has-implemented-recommendations-after-fatal-bus-crash-near-bamfield-1.5500159">University of Victoria bus crash</a>, and is absent from the Carberry crash, all because its mandate does not cover roads. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the TSB joined the investigation into the implosion of the <a href="https://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/medias-media/deploiement-deployment/marine/2023/m23a0169-20230623.html">Titan submersible</a> in international waters because the support ship flew a Canadian flag.</p>
<p>The TSB investigated a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-bus-train-crash-kills-6-in-commuting-horror-1.1858868">2013 double-decker bus crash</a> in Ottawa because the bus collided with a train and rail is a federally-regulated mode, but was unable to investigate another <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/the-humboldt-parents-ottawa-please-ask-the-transportation-safety-board-to-probe-the-bus-crash">double-decker crash also in Ottawa</a> in 2019 because the bus collided with a station shelter awning on the City-owned transitway. </p>
<p>In both cases, the bus structure proved to be weak and easily breached, which led to ejection of passengers from the upper decks. A <a href="https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2013/r13t0192/r13t0192.html">public report</a> was issued after the first crash. No report or recommendations were issued after the second, and an opportunity to advance safety was missed.</p>
<p>Best practices dictate that serious road crashes across the country be investigated by an independent body. That would allow us to see the bigger and clearer picture, and to detect trends more accurately. We need this knowledge to justify necessary safety actions such as traffic countermeasures, infrastructure upgrades, stronger bus structures, seatbelts, event data loggers and mandatory bus driver training.</p>
<p>For these reasons, we must demand that serious road crashes be subject to the same type of independent and transparent safety investigations that are routinely conducted in other modes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A stop sign at an intersection. A memorial is seen in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534160/original/file-20230626-17-4ej31x.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A memorial on the roadside where the Humboldt Broncos bus crash took place is shown on Highway 35 near Armley, Sask. on March 18, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Stalled progress</h2>
<p>In 2019, on the heels of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, the House of Commons Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities studied bus passenger safety. The committee interviewed first-responders, bus industry representatives, the TSB and safety experts.</p>
<p>The committee’s report contained <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/TRAN/report-31/page-24">nine important recommendations</a> to improve bus passenger safety. It recommended the Government of Canada enable the TSB to investigate serious highway accidents, as well as all accidents involving motor vehicles designed to transport nine or more passengers. The report also recommended that bus drivers be required to undertake mandatory entry-level training.</p>
<p>The report went nowhere.</p>
<p>Transport Canada did not respond to the report as would normally be expected. The committee was told that Transport Canada was in the process of <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/TRAN/report-31/page-18">developing regulatory changes</a> to improve bus passenger safety in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments and needed more time to finalize the work. </p>
<p>Four years later, there has been little progress on the recommendations. The cost of waiting is too high. Politicians continue to offer only thoughts and prayers after each tragic incident, but it is time for them to revisit their own bus passenger safety report. </p>
<p>The House of Commons needs to follow up on the recommendations and demand that regulatory changes be introduced to make bus travel safer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208357/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ahmed Shalaby receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Manitoba Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the City of Winnipeg. He is a professional engineer and a member of the Pavements and the Soil and Materials Standing Committees of the Transportation Association of Canada. He is a director of Safer Roads Canada, a not-for-profit group created by families of crash victims.
</span></em></p>Safety investigations into serious road collisions need to be conducted at a national level and by an independent body in the same manner air and rail occurrences are investigated.Ahmed Shalaby, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of ManitobaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1577642021-06-02T19:39:00Z2021-06-02T19:39:00ZDriver’s license suspensions for failure to pay fines inflict particular harm on Black drivers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402891/original/file-20210526-13-ufqnfa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=167%2C133%2C6908%2C4690&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Black drivers are more likely to encounter police regardless of how they drive, research shows. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/nightime-police-traffic-stop-royalty-free-image/1291419534?adppopup=true">Rich Legg/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine being unable to pay a US$50 traffic ticket and, as a result, facing <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/01/05/372691918/how-drivers-license-suspensions-unfairly-target-the-poor">mounting fees</a> so high that even after paying hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars toward your debt you still owe money.</p>
<p><a href="https://slate.com/business/2017/09/state-lawmakers-have-trapped-millions-of-americans-in-debt-by-taking-their-licenses.html">Imagine being fired from your job</a> because you’ve been forced to use unreliable public transportation instead of your car. </p>
<p>And imagine <a href="https://www.ij.org/report/fines-and-fees-home/">going to jail</a> several times because, even though your license is suspended, you had to drive to work. </p>
<p>These are some of the situations facing <a href="https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/01/04/new-york-passes-traffic-ticket-installments-drivers-license-suspension-reform-act/4117229001/">millions of Americans</a> who were unable to pay fines – and whose lives were turned into a nightmare by overly punitive policies in response.</p>
<p>And these policies have an outsize, and damaging, impact on Black Americans, according to our research.</p>
<h2>Cycles of debt</h2>
<p>Most cities and states have policies that allow them to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nc-state-wire-lawsuits-us-news-ap-top-news-courts-3f83b360a1f141f4a794f4203c7eab2f">suspend a driver’s license for nonpayment of fines and fees</a>, most commonly traffic fines.</p>
<p>These policies are so popular that <a href="https://dc.uwm.edu/eti_pubs/4/">judges have described them</a> as “the most valuable tool available to the municipal courts for inducing payment on past due accounts.”</p>
<p>Studying the effects of these policies can be difficult because there is no uniform national reporting of crime statistics. </p>
<p>Anecdotal evidence suggests that failure to pay fines – not dangerous driving – is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/more-than-7-million-people-may-have-lost-drivers-licenses-because-of-traffic-debt/2018/05/19/97678c08-5785-11e8-b656-a5f8c2a9295d_story.html">most common reason</a> for driver’s license suspensions in the United States. </p>
<p>And research indicates that these burdens are primarily borne by <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/01/05/372691918/how-drivers-license-suspensions-unfairly-target-the-poor">low-income people</a> and <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-findings-two-civil-rights-investigations-ferguson-missouri">people of color</a>. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://spa.asu.edu/content/sian-mughan">public affairs scholar</a> who has written extensively about labor markets and criminal justice systems, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/soej.12486">I’ve conducted research</a> with Joanna Carroll supports these conclusions. </p>
<p>But it also illuminates a previously unknown racial inequality of the policy. </p>
<p>Our research suggests that, by appearing on the driver’s record, license suspensions increase the probability that Black – but not white – drivers incur more traffic tickets. Even after the debt is paid and the license regained, these suspensions continue to harm drivers, and these harms exclusively affect Black drivers.</p>
<p>This shows that suspensions don’t just trap people in a cycle of mounting debt but also a cycle of negative interactions with the criminal justice system.</p>
<h2>Long-term impact of suspensions</h2>
<p>We studied a sample of over 2,000 drivers who received traffic tickets in Marion County, Indiana, home to Indianapolis, between 2011 and 2016. </p>
<p>In that county, if a driver fails to pay or contest a ticket within 72 days, their license is automatically suspended. This means that judges and other members of the justice system cannot choose who receives a suspension. </p>
<p>Every driver in our sample paid their ticket in the days surrounding the payment deadline.</p>
<p>This is an ideal environment to study the long-term impacts of suspensions because it creates two groups of people that are easily comparable: those who paid the ticket right before the deadline, thus avoiding a suspension, and those who paid after the deadline and received a suspension.</p>
<p>We found that Black drivers who received a failure-to-pay suspension increased their likelihood of getting another ticket by up to nine percentage points. White drivers, meanwhile, saw a roughly three percentage point decrease in their likelihood of getting another ticket.</p>
<p>We attempted to identify differences between white and Black drivers that might explain this result but were unable to do so. For example, Black drivers are not committing more offenses than white drivers, nor are the offenses they commit more serious. Black drivers are just as likely as white drivers to pay their tickets. And Black drivers are more likely than white drivers to reinstate their license after the suspension.</p>
<p>Moreover, regardless of race, following the suspension, drivers with larger fines are less likely to receive another ticket, suggesting that all drivers drive more cautiously after getting a suspension, likely to reduce the probability of receiving another ticket. This is consistent with previous <a href="https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/10707/speeding-punishment-and-recidivism-evidence-from-a-regression-discontinuity-design">studies on the effects of traffic policies</a>, which show traffic enforcement <a href="https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1939586">leads to safer driving</a>.</p>
<h2>Ineffective strategies for Black drivers</h2>
<p>We believe the most convincing explanation for our findings is that driving “better” to avoid being pulled over is an ineffective strategy for Black drivers, who are more likely to have an encounter with police regardless of how they drive. </p>
<p>This interpretation is consistent with studies showing Black people are more likely to be <a href="https://appam.confex.com/appam/2014/webprogram/Paper10418.html">pulled over without cause</a>. After pulling over a Black driver, the police officer discovers the prior failure-to-pay suspension and becomes more likely to issue a ticket. </p>
<p>This sequence of events does not occur when the driver is white because white drivers are able to minimize the chance of being pulled over by changing their driving behavior.</p>
<p>Our research is the first to study failure-to-pay suspensions in the United States, and it’s the first to demonstrate that they exert disproportionate harm on Black drivers. </p>
<p>This evidence could prove relevant to policymakers in states across the county who are currently debating <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-license-suspensions">discontinuing license suspension</a> for nonpayment of legal debts.</p>
<p><em>Dr. Joanna Carroll co-authored this research while she was at Indiana University. She currently works at the Government Accountability Office.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157764/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sian Mughan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Driver’s license suspensions increase the probability that Black – but not white – drivers incur more traffic tickets, even after the debt is paid, research shows.Sian Mughan, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, Arizona State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1405762020-06-25T16:05:50Z2020-06-25T16:05:50ZHow fatalistic beliefs influence risky driving in Ghana. And what needs to be done<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341698/original/file-20200614-153812-1owicby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Road accidents in Ghana should be considered a public health concern</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/transaid/192588197">Transaid/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Road traffic crashes claim an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/22/at-least-60-die-as-two-buses-collide-in-ghana-bono-east">average</a> of five lives every day in Ghana. The country reported a road <a href="https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/">traffic death rate</a> of 24.9 per 100,000 people in 2016 – above the global rate of 18.2 and only slightly below the World Health Organisation (WHO) African regional <a href="https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/AFRO-Road-Safety-Key-Facts.pdf?ua=1">fatality rate</a> of 26.6 for the same period. </p>
<p>The crashes have been <a href="https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/13/6/408">estimated</a> to cost about 1.6% of Ghana’s nominal GDP annually and have hindered <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2598301/">efforts</a> to reduce poverty. This is because money meant for <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/01/09/road-deaths-and-injuries-hold-back-economic-growth-in-developing-countries">poverty alleviation</a> and development projects is redirected into post-crash care and management as well as repair of destroyed public property such as traffic lights, roadway lighting, and guard rails. </p>
<p>WHO data shows that there were no reductions in the number of road deaths in low-income countries, including Ghana, between 2013 and 2016. And other <a href="http://www.nrsc.gov.gh/index.php/statistics">national reports</a> suggest Ghana’s road crash problem is on the rise.</p>
<p>I carried out a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14635240.2019.1613163">study</a> to understand the role of human factors in accidents in Ghana, and to look at what could be done to reduce them. As a psychologist I was interested in the role of fatalistic beliefs – the view that one’s fate is controlled by unseen forces and that chance and luck are crucial for human survival – in risky driving among licensed commercial minibus drivers in Ghana. </p>
<p>My study found that fatalistic beliefs are widespread among drivers and that drivers who hold these beliefs have much riskier driving attitudes and behaviour than drivers with less fatalistic beliefs. </p>
<p>Overall, the study concluded that fatalistic beliefs have a considerable influence on road safety attitudes, which in turn affect driving behaviour. This information could be useful in designing more effective crash prevention strategies.</p>
<h2>Commuting in Ghana</h2>
<p>Road transport is the major <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140516302742#bib3">mode of travel</a> in Ghana, accounting for about 70% of transportation. Local air travel remains unaffordable. Inter-city train travel is non-existent. Inner-city <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-6010-6_11">bus travel</a> is poorly managed and thus remains unattractive to most commuters. Unofficially, there are more private vehicles than commercial vehicles. The last <a href="https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2015/Country_profiles_combined_GSRRS2015_2.pdf?ua=1">official count</a> was in 2012.</p>
<p>There is no official state database on the causes of road crashes, but <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213624X18303717">research</a> suggests they result mostly from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/nov/27/why-are-ghanas-roads-so-deadly-latest-fatality-sparks-fury-in-accra-adenta-madina">risky driver behaviour</a> and poor road environments. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.myjoyonline.com/photo-story/photos-of-tema-motorway-interchange-two-days-before-inauguration/">government</a> has made attempts to improve road infrastructure, but few <a href="https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2015/Country_profiles_combined_GSRRS2015_2.pdf?ua=1">resources</a> have been devoted to road safety education and research. </p>
<p>Ghana’s drivers are mostly young adults. Due to <a href="https://psykologtidsskriftet.no/fagartikkel/2013/05/attitudinal-and-motivational-aspects-aberrant-driving-west-african-country">high unemployment</a> and lack of other opportunities, many young Ghanaians take to occupational driving. They drive commercial passenger-ferrying minibuses locally known as ‘trotro’.</p>
<p>Several <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457518303063">studies</a> have shown that on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457517301318?via%3Dihub">average</a> it takes a Ghanaian commercial driver two and a half years from their first trip to be involved in a road crash. </p>
<h2>Traffic fatalism in Ghana</h2>
<p>Traffic fatalism describes the belief that road traffic crashes are predestined and inevitable. In other words, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847812000812">traffic fatalism </a> reflects a belief in the role of fate and destiny in road safety. Strongly fatalistic individuals believe that their fate is controlled by unseen forces and that chance and luck are crucial for human survival. Such individuals believe that personal willpower will do very little to change the course of events thought to be predetermined. </p>
<p>Fatalistic beliefs are known to hinder individuals from taking personal action to promote their health. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1162908817300877">Research</a> has shown that not only do individuals who hold fatalistic beliefs engage in more unsafe driving behaviour, but they also underestimate dangerous driving situations. </p>
<p>To explore traffic fatalism in Ghana, I obtained data from 519 licensed drivers aged 18 to 73 years, recruited from the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions of Ghana. Respondents reported driving experience of one to 38 years. They completed a previously validated measure, the fatalism subscale of the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-014-9272-z">Multidimensional Fatalism Measure</a>, together with other measures of risky driving attitudes and behaviour. </p>
<p>The measure is conceptualised to reflect beliefs about whether or not road crashes can be prevented or changed through personal action. Sample items on the fatalism measure include “There is no sense in driving too carefully; if you will not get accidents, you will not”, “If something bad is going to happen to me as a driver, it will happen no matter what I do”, “If road accidents happen, it is because they were meant to happen”, and “Life is very unpredictable, and there is little one can do to prevent road accidents”. </p>
<p>Respondents indicated their agreement or disagreement with the statements. Higher scores indicated greater fatalistic beliefs about road crashes. Respondent scores were then used to predict risky driving behaviour. </p>
<p>I found that in Ghana, road traffic fatalism seems more widespread than previously thought. For example, in a recent road crash involving a popular musician, <a href="https://www.modernghana.com/news/834244/could-the-prophetic-revelation-of-ebony-reigns-death-streng.html">Ebony Reigns</a>, fatalistic beliefs dominated the discussions surrounding the tragic event to the exclusion of risky driver behaviour. </p>
<p>In a previous <a href="https://psykologtidsskriftet.no/fagartikkel/2013/05/attitudinal-and-motivational-aspects-aberrant-driving-west-african-country">qualitative study</a>, I found that some Ghanaian drivers believe that vehicles thought to have been purchased from proceeds of witchcraft or killing are destined to be involved in a road crash as a ‘pay back’ for wrongdoing on the part of the owners. Consequently, aside from vehicle maintenance, some vehicle owners are thought to be remotely responsible for road crashes involving their drivers. </p>
<h2>Way forward</h2>
<p>Fatalistic beliefs occur within a cultural context. Thus, the study’s findings are useful for road safety education in Ghana. Ghana’s National Road Safety Commission could design road safety campaigns among drivers to target the belief that road crashes are controlled, in part, by fate and destiny. This would help to deconstruct the notion that personal actions by drivers could do little to prevent road crashes. </p>
<p>This campaign may take the form of persuasive messages via traditional media and social media aimed at drivers. This would target dominant cultural and religious beliefs, norms, and value systems from which fatalistic beliefs are thought to arise. Authorities might also consider religious congregations as venues for road safety education.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140576/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Enoch Teye-Kwadjo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some people think road crashes are destined to happen and drivers can do little to prevent them.Enoch Teye-Kwadjo, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of GhanaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1256382019-11-03T18:55:12Z2019-11-03T18:55:12ZCaught red-handed: automatic cameras will spot mobile-using motorists, but at what cost?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299830/original/file-20191101-102228-2ypsrq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C9%2C920%2C820&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Trials found that 5% of offending drivers used a mobile phone with both hands while the vehicle was moving. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">NSW Transport</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the years, advances in technology and transport policy have greatly impacted drivers. In the 1980s this came in the form of random breath testing, and more recently, mobile drug testing.</p>
<p>A new policing tool under consideration may have a similar effect, as the New South Wales legislature considers the camera-based detection of illegal mobile phone use. Other states have <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/10/australian-states-are-eyeing-nsws-phone-detection-stealth-cameras/">also indicated</a> interest in the program.</p>
<p>If the NSW rollout (scheduled for December) is enacted, within months there could be widespread detection of drivers illegally using mobile phones. This will likely receive community support, as the use of handheld phones is <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/on-the-road/nsw-government-crack-down-on-drivers-using-mobile-phones-and-drugs/news-story/4a6d7809b3564167da44432f52c955e0">recognised as being dangerous</a>. </p>
<p>Currently, an estimated <a href="https://research.qut.edu.au/carrsq/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2017/12/Mobile-phone-distraction-email.pdf">two in three drivers (at least)</a>, are tempted to make or take a call, text, or browse the internet while driving. With these cameras, driver behaviour is likely to change radically, simply by increasing the risk of detection. </p>
<h2>How will it work?</h2>
<p>The cameras (which can be fixed or mobile) and their supporting software have been developed by Australian-Indian alliance Acusensus.</p>
<p>Known as the <a href="https://www.acusensus.com/acusensus-headsup-jr-faq">Heads-Up Distracted Driving Detection and Enforcement Solution</a>, they can be used 24/7. As with speed cameras, a sensor system records the speed of vehicles, and a specialised camera captures a high-resolution image of the vehicle, driver and registration plate. </p>
<p>Using artificial intelligence, the system examines images to detect the possibility of mobile use. While all vehicles at a site are examined, only photos that are likely to show mobile use are sent to a human reviewer (with passengers and registration plates blurred). </p>
<p>If an offence is alleged, the evidence is forwarded to authorities who can issue fines.</p>
<h2>2019 trial results</h2>
<p>A trial conducted early this year at eight sites assessed 8.5 million vehicles, and Acusensus presented some results:</p>
<p>• 104,000 evidence packages of drivers using a mobile were detected, screened and adjudicated as evidence of an offence </p>
<p>• drivers offended more in lower speed limit areas</p>
<p>• offending happened throughout day and night, with only slight variation: slightly lower from 6am-9am; slightly higher from 7pm-9pm; and highest of all between 4pm-5pm</p>
<p>• 15% of offending drivers drove a heavy vehicle </p>
<p>• 85% of offending drivers were the only person in the vehicle</p>
<p>• 5% of offending drivers used the mobile with both hands while the vehicle was moving</p>
<p>• 75% of drivers were using their left hand to operate the mobile </p>
<p>• offending drivers were generally texting or viewing the mobile screen (28%), speaking on the phone (4%), simply holding the mobile (25%), or had the mobile on their lap (43%).</p>
<p>Currently in NSW, about 40,000 traffic infringement notices are issued annually for mobile use. During the trials, a limited number of cameras detected more than 104,000 offences within months. </p>
<p>The NSW government has announced plans for at least 135 million vehicles to be screened annually. If a similar detection rate is assumed, this means 1.65 million offences can be expected to be detected each year by the cameras. </p>
<p>However, these estimates are likely at the high end, as drivers will probably change their mobile use rapidly following the rollout.</p>
<h2>The planned rollout</h2>
<p>Currently, drivers who use a mobile illegally are fined A$337 and get 5 demerit points. Novice drivers, who aren’t permitted to use a phone at all, may exceed their limit with one offence and have to serve a three-month suspension.</p>
<p>But these penalties won’t apply at the start of the program, and there will be a three-month warning letter period for drivers.</p>
<p>Signage indicating mobile phone detection cameras are being used will also be placed on roads to make drivers aware. </p>
<h2>Trouble in the courts</h2>
<p>The proposed legislation will have a significant impact on the justice system and on driver licence administration, as large numbers of drivers will experience penalties and potential licence loss, and may seek to challenge infringements.</p>
<p>There are some heavily-debated aspects of the program. Firstly, the legislation will presume an object held by a driver is a phone and place an onus on a driver to prove it isn’t. This may be problematic if the object looks similar to a mobile phone, such as a chocolate bar or wallet. Under current enforcement practice for alleged illegal mobile use, police officers must provide evidence the object was a phone. </p>
<p>Issues around privacy also arise. Camera-based mobile enforcement is invasive, as images are purposely taken of the driver and passenger compartment. While the cameras are used in public spaces, privacy concerns remain around how images are stored, accessed and disposed of. Also, who has access?</p>
<p>The form in which evidentiary images are presented must be subject to explicit safeguarding rules, which should also be audited. Also, a legal obligation to delete images where no offence is detected must be enacted.</p>
<p>Given the scale of enforcement possible with the cameras, there will also be pressure to extend the program for other surveillance purposes. </p>
<h2>Too many unknowns</h2>
<p>The decision to introduce mobile phone enforcement in NSW, while worthwhile, seems rushed. While some elements of an evaluative approach are evident, others are missing. </p>
<p>For instance, there has been:</p>
<p>• no public report of the trial released, </p>
<p>• limited modelling (at best) of the impact on the justice system,</p>
<p>• no modelling of the impact on driver licence administration and</p>
<p>• no modelling of the personal, social and economic impact of potential widespread driver licence loss.</p>
<p>This is not to say the program should not be advanced. But it seems appropriate a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_provision">sunset provision</a> is inserted into the legislation, to allow for a review of the impact of the program.</p>
<p>Especially since the new camera-based enforcement approach will likely be a game-changer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125638/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian J. Faulks MAPS is an NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Research Scholar, and has received funding from the Trust. He is an Adjunct Fellow with the Department of Psychology, Macquarie University. He is a member of the Australasian College of Road Safety.</span></em></p>Trials of the program found about 5% of offending drivers used their mobile phone with both hands, while the vehicle was moving.Ian J. Faulks, Adjunct Fellow, Macquarie University & NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Research Scholar, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety (CARRS-Q),, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1114152019-03-22T10:45:05Z2019-03-22T10:45:05ZCars are regulated for safety – why not information technology?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265128/original/file-20190321-93063-ouhsqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=152%2C6%2C4096%2C2816&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Modern cars are safer than this – but not because auto companies got more ethical.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bakersfield-ca-oct-24-beautifully-restored-39559930">Richard Thornton/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the computing industry grapples with its role in society, many people, both <a href="https://gzconsulting.org/2018/06/04/salesforce-there-is-a-crisis-of-trust-concerning-data-privacy-and-cybersecurity/">in the field</a> and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-praise-of-hierarchy-1515175338">outside it</a>, are talking about a <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2018/03/22/computer-science-faces-ethics-crisis-the-cambridge-analytica-scandal-proves/IzaXxl2BsYBtwM4nxezgcP/story.html">crisis</a> of <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-culture-of-deathand-of-disdain-1507244198">ethics</a>. </p>
<p>There is a massive rush to hire <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/21/opinion/who-will-teach-silicon-valley-to-be-ethical.html">chief ethics officers</a>, retool <a href="https://theconversation.com/programmers-need-ethics-when-designing-the-technologies-that-influence-peoples-lives-100802">codes of professional ethics</a> and <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/01/harvard-works-to-embed-ethics-in-computer-science-curriculum/">teach ethics to students</a>. But as a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DQaARsgAAAAJ&hl=en">scholar of computing</a> – and a teacher of <a href="https://www.cs.rice.edu/%7Evardi/COMP301-2019.pdf">a course on computing, ethics and society</a> at Rice University – I am skeptical of the assumptions that what ails technology is a lack of ethics, and that the best fix is to teach technologists about ethics.</p>
<p>Instead, in my view, the solution is government action, which aims at balancing regulation, ethics and markets. This isn’t a radical new idea: It’s how society treats cars and driving.</p>
<p>Consider, for instance, the Ford Model T, the first mass-produced and mass-consumed automobile. Its debut in 1908 launched the automobile age, a time of great mobility – and widespread death. Car crashes kill <a href="https://www.who.int/gho/road_safety/mortality/en/">more than a million people worldwide each year</a> – but the fatality rate per mile driven <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_safety_in_the_United_States">has been dropping</a> almost since the first Model T rolled off the assembly line. </p>
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<p>The reason for that improving safety record is not that people learning to drive studied the ethics of responsible and safe driving. Rather, they were taught, and tested on, the rules of the road, in order to obtain a driving license. Other regulations <a href="https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/standards.cfm">improved how roads were built</a>, required car makers to adopt <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/10/16/449090584/why-arent-auto-safety-standards-universal">new safety features</a>, mandated <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/car-insurance/">accident insurance</a>, and <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/laws-regulations/impaired-driving">outlawed drunk driving</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texting_while_driving">other unsafe behaviors</a>. I believe a similar approach – regulation, in addition to ethics education for technologists, as well as market competition – is needed today to make modern technology safe for society as a whole.</p>
<h2>Flaws in the basic business model</h2>
<p>In the 1980s, internet pioneers adopted a philosophy that “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_wants_to_be_free">information wants to be free</a>” – so website owners didn’t charge readers for access to the content. Instead, internet companies used advertising to support their efforts. That led them to collect personal data on their users and offer <a href="https://theconversation.com/solving-the-political-ad-problem-with-transparency-85366">micro-targeted advertising</a> to make money, which social scientist Shoshana Zuboff calls “<a href="https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/shoshana-zuboff/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism/9781610395694/">surveillance capitalism</a>.”</p>
<p>This business model is <a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/GOOG/alphabet/revenue">enormously profitable</a>, so it’s unlikely internet companies will abandon it on their own as a result of ethical qualms. Even in the face of <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/24/apples-tim-cook-makes-blistering-attack-on-the-data-industrial-complex/">blistering critiques</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/understanding-facebooks-data-crisis-5-essential-reads-94066">Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica</a> scandal, the massive profits are compelling.</p>
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<p>The real problem with surveillance capitalism is not that it is unethical – which I believe it is – but that it is completely legal in most countries. It is unreasonable to expect for-profit corporations to avoid profitable businesses that are legal. In my view, it is not enough to simply criticize internet companies’ ethics. If society finds the surveillance business model offensive, then the remedy is not an ethical outrage, but making laws and regulations that govern it, or even prevent it altogether.</p>
<p>Of course, public policy cannot be divorced from ethics. Selling human organs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097%2FTP.0000000000001778">is banned in the U.S.</a> in part because society finds it ethically repugnant to profit from life itself. But the ban is enforced by laws, not by an ongoing ethics debate. As Chief Justice Earl Warren remarked: “<a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/earl_warren_112607">In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics</a>.”</p>
<h2>Regulation has benefits</h2>
<p>For decades, the information-technology industry has <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-case-against-elon-musk-will-chill-innovation/">successfully lobbied</a> against attempts to legislate or regulate it, arguing that “<a href="https://bigthink.com/peter-thiel-regulation-stifles-innovation">regulation stifles innovation</a>.” Of course, that assumes all innovation is good. It has become evidently clear that this is not always the case: Some of the internet giants’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-is-killing-democracy-with-its-personality-profiling-data-93611">innovation has harmed democratic society</a> in the U.S. and around the world. </p>
<p>In fact, one purpose of regulation is to chill certain kinds of innovation – specifically, those that the public finds wrong, distasteful or unhelpful to the advancement of society. Regulation can also encourage innovation in ways society deems beneficial. There is no question that regulations on the automobile industry encouraged innovation in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_safety">safety</a> and <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy-basics.html">fuel efficiency</a>.</p>
<p>Some members of Congress have proposed a number of <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4620765-PlatformPolicyPaper.html#document/p1">ambitious plans</a> to tackle <a href="https://theconversation.com/weaponized-information-seeks-a-new-target-in-cyberspace-users-minds-100069">information warfare</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/fragmented-us-privacy-rules-leave-large-data-loopholes-for-facebook-and-others-94606">consumer protection</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/big-tech-isnt-one-big-monopoly-its-5-companies-all-in-different-businesses-92791">competition in digital technology</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/artificial-intelligence-must-know-when-to-ask-for-human-help-112207">role of artificial intelligence</a> in society. But much simpler – and more widely supported – rules could make a huge difference for individual customers and society as a whole.</p>
<p>For instance, federal regulators could require software terms and licenses include plain language that’s easily understood by anyone – perhaps modeled on the longstanding “<a href="https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/33-7497.txt">plain English rule</a>” for corporate financial filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Laws or rules could also require companies to <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/need-federal-law-protecting-consumers-data-leaks-195017782.html">disclose data breaches quickly</a>, both to officials and the public at large. That might even spark innovation as firms increase their efforts to prevent and detect network intrusions and data theft. Another relatively easy opportunity would be to regulate automated judicial decision systems, including requiring that they not be deployed before passing an independent audit showing that they are <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing">fair and unbiased</a>.</p>
<p>Those straightforward regulations could pave the way for thinking and talking about whether and how to regulate <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/17/tech/big-tech-too-big-tim-wu/index.html">the sizes of these big technology firms</a>. But rule-making need not start with the hardest problems – there’s plenty to do that most people would agree on right away.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that technology advances have been moving <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law">very fast</a>, while public policy has lagged behind. It is time for public policy to catch up with technology. If technology is driving the future, society should do the steering.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111415/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Moshe Y. Vardi is affiliated with the Association for Computing Machinery, a professional association. </span></em></p>Of course people need ethics. But the current troubles in the technology industry are not evidence of an ethics crisis; it is a public-policy crisis.Moshe Y. Vardi, Professor of Computer Science, Rice UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1115962019-02-19T11:33:55Z2019-02-19T11:33:55ZHow old is too old to drive?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259063/original/file-20190214-1751-n0lgww.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II at a horse show in 2018. On Jan. 17, 2019, Prince Philip crashed his Land Rover into another vehicle. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Elizabeth-and-Philip-71st-Wedding-Anniversary-/dd796b4ba1704af1b3ee84e86529c5cf/71/0">22/KGC-178-STAR MAX/IPx 2018/AP Photo</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When Britain’s Prince Philip <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47236607">crashed his Land Rover</a> into another vehicle on Jan. 17, 2019, many people were surprised that he was still driving at age 97. Many thought that surely someone – the queen perhaps? – would have persuaded him to give it up, or would have “taken away” the keys. </p>
<p>Older unsafe drivers are a growing problem, thanks to the baby boom generation. In the U.S., <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/older_adult_drivers/">42 million</a> adults 65 and older were licensed to drive in 2016, an <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/infographics/concerned-about-driving-safety">increase of 15 million</a> from 20 years ago.</p>
<p>Yet who wants to stop driving? It is not only a major symbol of independence but also a needed activity for older people to be able to shop, go to the doctor and maintain social connections.</p>
<p>I’m a geriatrics specialist physician, a daughter of parents who had to stop driving. I live in <a href="http://safemobilityfl.com/index.htm">Florida,</a> where <a href="http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/doea/pubs/stats/County_2017_projections/Counties/Florida.pdf">29 percent</a> of our drivers are older adults, which everywhere else in the U.S. will experience about 10 years from now. I also serve as editorial board chair of the <a href="https://geriatricscareonline.org/ProductAbstract/clinicians-guide-to-assessing-and-counseling-older-drivers-3rd-edition/B022">Clinician’s Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers</a>, a collaborative project between the American Geriatrics Society and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. I have spent a great deal of time training clinicians how to detect and treat factors leading to the loss of driving skills early enough to prevent crashes and the loss of independent mobility. </p>
<h2>Older drivers by the numbers</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259065/original/file-20190214-1742-1xitnto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259065/original/file-20190214-1742-1xitnto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259065/original/file-20190214-1742-1xitnto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259065/original/file-20190214-1742-1xitnto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259065/original/file-20190214-1742-1xitnto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259065/original/file-20190214-1742-1xitnto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259065/original/file-20190214-1742-1xitnto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Older drivers are typically good drivers, but they can have impairments they may not recognize.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cheerful-senior-woman-driving-car-283367063?src=N-6WiVFkh0IXoCrbnZjVaA-1-3">Photobac/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>By 2030, NHTSA estimates that 1 of out of every 4 drivers will be an older adult. </p>
<p>About 7,400 adults ages 65 and older were killed, and more than 290,000 were treated for motor vehicle crash injuries in 2016 alone. </p>
<p>Males 85 years and older and 20-24 years of age have the <a href="https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/general-statistics/fatalityfacts/overview-of-fatality-facts/2017">highest crash rates</a>. Age and experience may be a factor here, but far and away the greatest number of vehicular deaths are still from <a href="https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/alcohol-and-drugs/fatalityfacts/alcohol-and-drugs/2017">substance abuse-related crashes,</a> accounting for 23,611 out of a total 37,133 deaths in 2017. </p>
<p>According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/Injury/wisqars/pdf/ICARIS2-PublicUse-DataSet-Documentation.pdf">data</a>, most older drivers have good driving habits. The CDC reports that many self-restrict their driving to conditions where they feel safe and confident, such as avoiding high-speed roads, nighttime driving, bad weather or high-congestion times of day. </p>
<h2>Know the stop signs</h2>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259067/original/file-20190214-1726-e9nvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259067/original/file-20190214-1726-e9nvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259067/original/file-20190214-1726-e9nvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259067/original/file-20190214-1726-e9nvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259067/original/file-20190214-1726-e9nvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259067/original/file-20190214-1726-e9nvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259067/original/file-20190214-1726-e9nvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Good driving skills, such as having good vision and range of motion, are more important than age.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/senior-man-driver-car-emotional-portrait-1142205050?src=N-6WiVFkh0IXoCrbnZjVaA-2-13">Nikolai Kazakov/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Prince Philip announced on Feb. 9, 2019 that he would <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/09/prince-philip-97-gives-up-drivers-license-after-crash.html">give up his driver’s license</a>, but only after he and others had suffered serious consequences.</p>
<p>So how can others know when it’s time to get help or stop driving, for ourselves or for our parents, friends and neighbors?</p>
<p>It is all about the skills, not the age.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.healthinaging.org/files/documents/HIA-Tip-When_to_Stop_Driving_2017-1.pdf">Key warning signs</a> that it may be time to stop include getting lost, failing to obey traffic signals, reacting slowly to emergencies, using poor judgment, or forgetting to use common safety strategies, such as checking for blind spots. </p>
<p>Vision, cognition and the physical ability to manage the controls to the vehicle are critical functions that we must be able to perform, whether we are young or old in order to drive safely and effectively. <a href="https://seniordriving.aaa.com/understanding-mind-body-changes/vision/">Vision</a> is well-recognized as the single most important source of information we use when navigating and making judgments.</p>
<p>Having difficulty with daytime sun glare, as was reported in Prince Philip’s crash, or nighttime headlights, brushing into objects on one side, or having to brake suddenly may be signs that something is impairing our ability to perceive road hazards accurately. Regular vision checkups are important to assure that we keep optimal vision for driving. </p>
<p><a href="https://seniordriving.aaa.com/understanding-mind-body-changes/mind-cognition/">Cognition</a> is essential to processing all the information we receive, ignoring distractions, remembering our route, responding to traffic signals and making good decisions. Medications and medical conditions such as sleep apnea, Parkinson’s disease or dementia can stop us from being able to think and respond well enough to keep ourselves or others safe while driving. Getting a good <a href="https://www.healthinaging.org/files/documents/HIA-Tip-Testing-Driver-Safety-1.pdf">evaluation</a> from your health care provider can help to minimize these risks and flag situations.</p>
<p>Physical abilities such as turning the steering wheel, neck flexibility and detecting where the pedals are correctly are important for operating the vehicle smoothly. Many of the same conditions associated with <a href="https://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SeniorsAndFalls.pdf">falls</a> are also related to motor vehicle crashes. </p>
<h2>Possible solutions</h2>
<p>People can take brief <a href="https://seniordriving.aaa.com/evaluate-your-driving-ability/self-rating-tool/">self-assessments</a> to get an idea of how they are doing, or ask a trusted individual to rate their driving using a <a href="http://fitnesstodrive.phhp.ufl.edu/us/">tool</a> validated by on-road testing, and discuss the results. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.aota.org/Practice/Productive-Aging/Driving.aspx">driving rehabilitation specialist</a> may be helpful in identifying problem areas, learning strategies for improvement and rehabilitating rusty or lost driving skills. You can find one using national databases on the <a href="https://myaota.aota.org/driver_search/index.aspx?_ga=2.58743725.1873797895.1550097523-1139337833.1545343923">America Occupational Therapy Association</a> or the <a href="https://www.aded.net/page/230">Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists</a> websites. </p>
<p>It may be tempting to get a new vehicle featuring the latest safety features such as collision avoidance sensors, but these are not a substitute for a driver’s own skills. And, sometimes changing vehicles may even create mild confusion in a driver accustomed to a certain vehicle.</p>
<h2>‘Mom, can I take away the keys?’</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259069/original/file-20190214-1745-13c06xq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/259069/original/file-20190214-1745-13c06xq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259069/original/file-20190214-1745-13c06xq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259069/original/file-20190214-1745-13c06xq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259069/original/file-20190214-1745-13c06xq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259069/original/file-20190214-1745-13c06xq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/259069/original/file-20190214-1745-13c06xq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Taking away the car keys could be avoided with earlier discussions about safety and cognition.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hand-business-man-gives-car-key-714680170?src=yLdpfnm-A6dsBXzzIMil2Q-1-2">fatir29/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Adult children often want to protect their parents if they notice impairment. It’s important to have open, respectful communication to establish that maintaining mobility and finding alternative means of transportation are key to retiring from driving. These discussions should occur long before there’s a crisis.</p>
<p>Being willing and able to stop driving requires having a realistic <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/older_adult_drivers/CDC-AdultMobilityTool-9.27.pdf">mobility plan</a>. National and local <a href="https://www.healthinaging.org/files/documents/HIA-Tip-Non-Driver2017-1.pdf">transportation resources</a> can help people get around without driving, but it does take some effort to get used to planning activities well in advance. New skills may be needed, such as learning how to access ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft, or someday, managing an autonomous vehicle.</p>
<p>Until then, following basic <a href="https://www.healthinaging.org/files/documents/HIA-Tip-Safety_Older_Drivers2017-1.pdf">driving safety</a> strategies and keeping as mentally and physically fit as possible is the best way to help us help ourselves to keep driving for longer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111596/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alice Pomidor is affiliated with the American Geriatrics Society and editorial board chair for the Clinician's Guide to Assessing and Counseling Older Drivers, a free resource for health care providers.</span></em></p>Britain’s Prince Philip recently announced he will stop driving, in the aftermath of a crash he caused after being blinded by sunlight. The crash raises a question: When should people stop driving?Alice Pomidor, Professor of Geriatrics and Researcher, The Institute for Successful Longevity, Florida State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.