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Douglas County Public Works -Neighborhood Tralric MitigaUOn &. Calming httP://www.douglaa.co.us/DC/PubhcWorks/vadic calming.hun sociological and physical limitations human beings have. It is because of my exhaustive reseazch that I have been able to formulate my own theory: Human beings ain't nothin' but monkeys with car keys. People make mistakes. Errors are committed by drivers and then attention is drawn to the concept of attitudes where the habits, feelings and beliefs of people interact. Engineers need to be sensitive to the imperfections of roadway users, including perceived problems, to reduce the errors on the system to a minimum. Considerable engineering advances have been made, and technology has advanced. However, it is a mistake to think that technology will be able to resolve all problems. The educational approach to traffic safety consists of attempting to change the attitudes and beliefs of citizens to bring them more in line with road safety objectives. For the purpose here, I am including education and enforcement together. No one, of course, is against road safety, and everyone claims to be aware of their responsibility. Sut the truth is, there is ambivalence with respect to this issue in our society. Roadway safety has simply not found its proper place in the hierarchy of concerns facing us. For instance, economic development, unemployment, violent crime, personal freedom and many other issues are of greater interest to policy makers, the press and public opinion which, in general, all reflect one another. As an example, I would point to the fate of the bill introduced in the State Legislature this year regarding the use of cameras for issuing traffic tickets. After debate, the version that finally passed has reduced the effectiveness of this technology as an educationaVenforcement tool against speeding. Ultimately, the Legislature placed a higher interest on individual freedom than safety. The decision that was made seems to fit with the current attitude and opinion of the public. I am not saying the decision is right or wrong, only that safety often takes a back seat to other issues in life. It is not impossible to change the beliefs and values of society. It can be done, but it requires a large scope and intense focus on the issue at a national, state, local and individual level. Support for road safety issues would have to generate interest similar to say, the environmental movement that began about 30 years ago. The fundamental objectives of road safety are to reduce accidents, conflicts and danger. Since man is the primary component of any traffic system, any reasonable plan should be focused on individuals, but based on reality. In order to explain how this relates to the County's policies, I am going to begin with three fundamental statements that I will intentionally put forth in a provocative way: 1. In general, human beings are motivated by the objectives to achieve everything as quickly, smoothly, pleasantly and cheaply as possible. For drivers, the objective is not to participate in traffic, but to get to work on time, or keep an appointment. Actually, participating in traffic is secondary. 2. The driver of a vehicle is not concerned with his/her own safety, they falsely believe they are in control of the situation. Nor is the driver aware of the lack of safety. Man has many instinctive fears, for example: snakes, spiders, darkness. But in the case of electric wall sockets, there is not fear teed to our biological evolution. The same is true for fast cars--speed is outside of our biological boundaries. People repeatedly break the speed limit . and nothing happens. If something does happen, then we say it is "bad luck" or blame someone else. 3. Last, people do not drive to show a sense of responsibility, other than when they see a 4 oC 6 9/ 15/00 8:20 AM