Wiston Papers

Betrayal on America's Highways

I spent much of last weekend driving the streets, roads and highways of the Midwest and I am appalled by a pervasive pandemic plague that has escaped both political discussion and mechanical solution.

The American automobile industry has unleashed upon the U.S. public a fleet of vehicles of all sizes that--to quote Ralph Nadar’s 1965 book--is  indeed “unsafe at any speed.”  I witnessed this firsthand and here is my evidence to what I term the Betrayal on America’s Highways.

I am one of the rare citizens of this nation who possesses an operational car.  Most residents do not.  As I was crossing Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and a slice of Oklahoma carefully driving  the exact speed limit of  every region, other cars and trucks whizzed by me at frightening velocities.

This obviously is the result of broken accelerators that excite more thrust from a car than the drivers could possibly desire.  What other explanation is there?

Occasionally I would gradually approach a vehicle moving slower than the posted speed limit and much, much slower than the prevailing traffic.   A  certain case of an improperly installed and calibrated speedometer.  What other explanation is there?

Big Auto is egregiously to blame for its manufacture of black SUVs and similar large, unsafe car/truck/vans of the same color.  Not only do these four-wheel behemoths roar along America’s byways excessively fast, but they also change lanes with no apparently functional turning signals.  

This dilemma of a broken accelerator on the one hand (foot) and an inoperable turning signal on the other hand gives rise to understandable panic.  

You can see it clearly in the faces of the drivers who are holding their cell phones to their ears, talking  and looking everywhere but at the road in front of them--seeking help.  Some persons behind the wheel have even taking to texting for assistance or seeking guidance by Googling on their preferred communication device desperately trying to keep their  vehicle from careening out of control.  What other explanation is there?

I had so much concern and empathy for the magnitude of this crisis that I frequently honked at these passing afflicted transports.  “I can feel your pain,” was my obvious message.  My fellow travelers (so to speak) acknowledged my heartfelt effort to help by gesturing at me with a single vertical finger--the universal sign of the road we have all come to recognize for “Please, call 911.”  What other explanation is there?

Yes, I was tempted many times indeed to dial 911, but then I assumed that with so many other motorists seeking help by driving, phoning and texting that the local Emergency Communication Services operators were already overwhelmed.  One more notification could possibly break the already over-taxed system.  Besides I would have to pull off to the side of the road to make that call.

So wide spread and pernicious is Detroit and Big Autos Betrayal on America’s Highways that I am shocked it has not dominated the political discourse this presidential election year.  

Unemployment pales in comparison to the potentially catastrophic consequences of a runaway car.  Home foreclosures are unimportant when you are held captive by a seemingly sinister sensient SUV.  Why does anyone care about economic troubles when you’re trying to train your truck?

Neither President Obama, Vice President Biden or the Republican Challengers Governor Romney or Vice-President Designate Paul Ryan has mentioned the vehicular crisis in their stump speeches.  And I fear that this mobile menace will not come up at either of the national political conventions just around the corner as none of the men wants to get ahead of the curve on this.

One can only surmise that Big Auto has dug deeply into its pocket for hush money contributions to the candidates’ campaign coffers.  Otherwise, these four men would have been all over this issue.  

What other explanation is there?

Steve Coon

August 26, 2012