Twig and Leaf (2122 Bardstown Rd. in Deer Park) suffered an all too familiar mishap yesterday. The eatery was minding its own business when an unexpected visitor crashed the party. WLKY gets the header right: Man hospitalized in ‘serious’ condition after crashing into Highlands restaurant.
Police said the driver was heading north on Bardstown Road when they lost control and crashed into Twig and Leaf. Officers later learned the driver was having a medical emergency at the time of the crash.
Hoping as we do that the man in question recovers from his medical emergency and subsequent injuries, it remains that a great many of us greet news like this with the wrong question: “Why are so many cars driving into buildings?”
It isn’t clear why we insist on thinking this way. Cars might be “smart,” but they’re not sentient, and cannot choose on their own to drive into buildings.
Even allowing for the advent of self-driving (or autonomous) vehicles, the fact remains that almost all of the cars driving into buildings nowadays are operated by actual human drivers, meaning that drivers are driving their vehicles into buildings.
And why is this?
The Pittman Law Firm provides this helpful summary, although it omits the specific cause of yesterday’s crash: a medical emergency.
- Over 100 drivers hit buildings every day in the U.S. Driver mistakes and pressing the wrong pedal are big reasons. Learning about these can make driving safer.
- Older drivers have special problems, like slower reflexes and pedal mistakes. Classes can help them drive better and stay safe.
- Not paying attention while driving often causes crashes into buildings. Easy actions like planning trips and securing items can keep drivers focused.
- Adding barriers like bollards and fixing parking lot designs can lower the chance of cars hitting buildings.
- Teaching people about distracted driving and pushing for safer roads can make places safer for everyone.
Passing urbanists will likely (and correctly) remark that the construction of “safer” roads and parking lots in dense, historic areas like Deer Park can have deleterious effects on the design features that make these areas attractive (and walkable, and bike-able) in the first place.
I’m not drawing conclusions, just providing food for thought, although we should all be able to agree on one important point: PUT DOWN YOUR DAMN PHONE.
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