Tom McLaughlin – 2/27/09

This page was last updated on February 28, 2009.

Steps we can take to make roads safer; Tom McLaughlin; Beaver County Times; February 27, 2009.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“How should we accessorize our automobiles to make our roads safer?

“-- A new ignition key in the form of a tamper-proof national driver’s license with a picture and a fingerprint. You insert the license into the starter slot, which will be checked by a national data bank to establish that the person behind the steering wheel is the same person who is on the picture and that this driver is not under suspension or revocation.

“-- An alcohol detection device you must breathe into.

“-- A device to determine that the driver and passengers all have their seat belts on.

“-- That we upgrade our crash rating from five-star closer to NASCAR.

“Therefore, the vehicle you hope to drive will not start if you are under suspension, if your alcohol level is too high and if all the occupants of your vehicle are not wearing their seat belts.”

[RWC] Here are more suggestions. How about checking for current and appropriate auto insurance, smoking, cell phones, paid-up taxes, medical insurance, snow tires in the winter, windows cleared of snow and ice, current air pollution readings, et cetera? We should also have to file the auto equivalent of a flight plan in order to eliminate traffic jams.

“I recently told this scenario to a unit commander of the Pennsylvania State Police.

“He thought it might not be a bad idea, but anti-big brother guys probably wouldn’t let it happen. He said it would be like him asking PennDOT to paint his house yellow.

[RWC] “[A]nti-big brother” is pro-freedom.

“Go figure. GPS shows where you live, and the soon-to-be-electronic medical records data bank will show when you had your hemorrhoid operation.”

[RWC] Based on this last sentence, I don’t know if Mr. McLaughlin was serious in his above suggestions or not.