Can Farragut Change?

I knew when I picked the name Farragut Republican I would get some comments like this. Try reading the posts again Mr. Henderson. I do not know if you have figured out what this blog is about. It is about making our community a better safer place and it has nothing to do with hate. As a native East Tennessean I disagree strongly with your comments.

FR



Email from a reader of Can Farragut Change?

Subject: "Farragut Republican!!" hahahahaha!!!

Date May 25

Hey Repug, Let me say first of all that I hate, loathe, and despise Repugnicans/ Rightwingers. I find your name here "Farragut Republican" hilarious!! You have no idea how much that tags you as the west Knox stereotype we natives have always laughed at. I live in Knox and I'm fed up with listening to complaints about local drivers, schools, roads, etc. from you yankee boat people. You always have the option of returning to the land of cold, rudeness, crime, snobbery, high taxes, etc. that you came from. Can't get a"good bagel" or "eggs benedict eh? Ain't that a bitch!? What primitives these "inbreds" and "rednecks" are right? So you are another northern immigrant who loves the South and East Tennessee's mountains and beauty etc. but just can't stand the Southerners right?

I live in WestKnox surrounded by a great many just like you. You are the Yankee Repugnican trash types who keep stealing my Democratic campaign signs. Last Nov. I guarded my sign with my aluminum baseball bat in hand. Next campaign I will beat senseless any Yankee immigrant Republican snob bastard I catch stealing my signs!! Now, hop in that"Bimmer" or Landrover and head on back to babylonyank. Most of us native Knoxvillians dislike YOU just as much as you dislike us. We need no more Repugnicans around here!! Repugnicans have always been a severe social, political, and economic hindrance on East Tennessee. Escape these terrible drivers, schools, roads, etc.. Go home now to all that "better food." Why stay insuch a goddamn awful place as "backward" Tennessee?

- L Henderson, West K-town

Many parents will make an important decision at this time of year. What should they get for High School Graduation? Number one on the list would be a set of wheels. What do young drivers want? Most want SUVS. They are fun and they are cool. Most parents remember the trauma and stigma of have to drive a square car when they were young and do not wish for their children to experience the same nightmare.

The majority of SUVS are not as stable as a conventional car. The combination of a high center of gravity and massive weight combined with large wheels and tire treads designed for both on road and off road driving create longer braking distances and greater vehicle rollover opportunities.

Studies show that in SUV and car collisions the occupants of the SUV fair better. The problem is that this small safety factor is over whelmed by the rollover and loss of control risk posed by SUVS. The best indicator is to look at fatalities by number of miles driven. SUVS perform poorly compared to regular sedans. There are safe SUVS. Unfortunately they are expensive compared to regular sedans. Many parents will look at a used SUV thinking they are purchasing a safe vehicle for their children. In the majority of cases they are mistaken.

If you are a parent in this situation take a moment and look at your options. Drivers under 25 experience a much higher percentage of traffic fatalities when compared to other drivers. Does it make sense to give these drivers the most difficult to control vehicles? Experts recommend the safety of a large or mid-sized sedan for inexperienced drivers.

http://www.smartcarguide.com/exp/intro/idx.htm

http://www.smartcarguide.com/exp/safety/idx.htm

If you have already purchased a SUV for your teenager look for warning signs. I use a young family member as an example. My nephew claimed he was run off the road when he returned home one day with scratches from a barbed wire fence on the driver’s side of the SUV. I asked my sister if he was driving in England. The scratches were on the wrong side of the SUV for his story to hold water.

The next story I heard was when my nephew received a ticket for driving 70 miles an hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. His claim was the cop was a redneck who had it out for him. This was in a neighborhood. My nephew plans to contest the ticket in court. I am very concerned about this young man.

Just two weeks ago my nephew had his second wreck. He was passing by an accident scene when he supposedly dropped a tire off the road and spun the SUV 180 degrees. He struck a large rock on the side of some construction and that is all that kept him from going off the road into a twenty-foot drop off. When asked if he was speeding he said he was going twenty miles per hour. When asked how the SUV could spin around and crush the back bumper at such a low speed he said there was oil on the road.

At this time I do not know if my nephew will be allowed to drive the SUV any more. Don’t let this happen with your family. If you see warning signs then take action.

In Knox County the Town of Farragut may be the SUV capital. I personally have never owned an SUV but I did rent one several years ago because I was curious why SUVS were so popular. I rented the Ford Expedition on a one-week business trip in Florida. The first thing I noticed was how high up the drivers perspective was. I thought this was fine until I took the first curve at about 55 mph. I did not care for the lack of driving feedback. The vehicle felt top heavy and there was excessive body roll and a feeling of uncertainty.

I was impressed with the straight-line acceleration with the Ford Expedition. It was quicker than I would have thought. The greatest shock was the brakes. They were beyond pathetic. I had more empathy for SUV owners as I tried to stop this crate. I would keep pushing on the brake pedal and I thought I would hit the car in front of me; at the last moment the Expedition came to a stop less than one half car length behind the car in front of me. I was relieved to return the Expedition unharmed at the end of the week and my curiosity was satisfied on whether I would ever own a SUV.

So why do people purchase SUVS instead of 4 door sedans, mini-vans, or station wagons? I would think convenience, the perception of safety, and ego. For large families there is a convenience of comfortably transporting 5 people on a long trip. Getting children in and out of child safety seats is easier than a four-door sedan. Collisions with SUVS do have safety aspects to consider. They actually are not as safe as other vehicles.

http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ratings.htm


Is the safety of SUVS an urban legend? If you look at the Ford Excursion you find it is very dangerous due to roll over and loss of control accidents. The most dangerous SUVS studied are the Chevrolet Blazer 2 door, Kia Sportage 4 door, and Ford Explorer 2 door SUVS. There are safe SUVS. The Toyota 4Runner, Lexus RX300, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan Pathfinder have good safety records equal to those of 4 door sedans.

http://www.hwysafety.org/srpdfs/sr4003.pdf


For families I would recommend a minivan like the Honda Odyssey as an alternative to a SUV. With one of the best safety rates of any vehicle the Honda Odyssey provides acceleration, comfort, and cargo space that exceeds that of SUVS.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=19&article_id=8520&page_number=1

I recommend if you do have a SUV that you fit it with a backup camera so you can see what is behind the vehicle when you back up. Last week on ABC news I saw a segment that made me wonder why people purchase SUVS. This was a tragic story of a father who ran over his daughter with the SUV because he did not see her behind the vehicle. If you cannot purchase a backup camera walk around the SUV before you get in to make sure nothing is behind you.


http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/safety/suv_dangers.html


If you do drive an SUV recognize the limitations of the vehicle. Drive the speed limit and avoid tailgating. Start braking sooner than you would with a car. Limit or avoid cell phone use that could cause a roll over accident. Most importantly check your tire pressure every two to three weeks. SUVS are very dangerous when driven with under inflated tires.

When you drive imagine your Mom is in the car in front of you and your daughter is in the car behind you. Each of these people are someone’s Mom, Dad, Son or Daughter.

Today we learn that the driver of the pickup truck in Halls that ran a fire truck off the road was talking on a hand held cell phone at the time of the accident.

If this driver is arrested do you feel there should be extra charges for driving while distracted?

http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=3349154

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=3342409

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_3780865,00.html


Deputies still looking for pickup that caused fire truck crash

May 16, 2005
KNOXVILLE (AP) -- Knox County sheriff's deputies continue looking for the driver of a pickup truck who caused a crash that injured firefighters and destroyed a fire engine.The crash occurred May 13th in Halls and sent two firefighters to a hospital with what are described as muscle and bone injuries. They were released about 12 hours later.

Witnesses say the driver of the pickup crossed a double yellow line to get around a vehicle that was turning and found himself staring at the oncoming fire engine.

Rural/Metro Fire Department Captain Jeff Devlin says the driver of the fire engine had to turn off the road to keep from sending the heavy vehicle into the pickup.

The engine snapped off a utility pole and struck several trees, leaving the quarter-million-dollar fire truck a total loss.

Witnesses say the pickup driver was talking on a cellular phone when the crash occurred and took off when he saw the fire engine crash.

Source: http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=3349154



POLL UPDATE:

The poll today at WVLT currently shows that 63 % of respondents favor a law to prohibit cell phone use while driving.

http://www.volunteertv.com

This morning on the WNOX Hallerin Hill radio program guest host Angie Wilson discussed driving while talking on a hand held cell phone. Angie recounted the day when she was at a traffic light at Northshore and Westland Drive. A Ford Excursion blew through the red light while a woman driver chatted away on her cell phone.

Dave Foulk of WNOX told the story of almost being run over in downtown Knoxville as a woman ran a red light while talking on her hand held cell phone. We all know that this affects men and women equally but where are the stories about the male drivers running red lights while talking on cell phones?

Various callers gave their experiences but the interesting part is when Angie asked if the callers used their cell phones when they drive. Most said they continue to use their cell phones while driving. It seems that each person believes that this only affects other drivers and they are some how immune to the distraction of using a cell phone while driving.

The most interesting fact I have learned researching this is that using a cell phone while driving increase your chances of an accident by 400 percent. Incoming cell phone calls account for 42 % of cell phone related accidents.

Many large companies like Exxon prohibit cell phone use while driving for employees and contractors while on company business.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/Drive-Now/exxon.html

Many websites are dedicated to the loss of a family member who died because of a cell phone caused car accident.

http://www.morganlee.org/

http://www.drivenowchatlater.com/

The most interesting part of today's WNOX radio program was the recounting of a phone call to "Cartalk" the very popular radio talk show on PBS. Ray and Tom were talking live on the radio with a legislator who was pushing a bill to ban cell phone use of hand held cell phones in moving vehicles. Another legislator from another state called in while driving to give her opinion that cell phones did not cause accidents and that banning them was unneeded. While taking she said an expletive and then the sound of a crash was heard on live radio. She had a traffic accident while talking on her cell phone on a national radio program. Ironic isn't it? You can hear "Cartalk" on Saturday morning on 91.9 at 10:00 AM.

The best weblink I have found for this topic is:

http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/Drive-Now/articles.html

Even though there is no law at this time for hand held cell phone use in a moving vehicle I offer the following suggestions. Most importantly pull over to make your cell phone call. Buy either an ear bud or a hands free kit. Use you cell phone as little as you can when you drive. Answer your call and tell them you will call them back or let your cell phone voicemail take the call. Use the voice activated dialing feature if you must make a cell phone call while driving. If the conversation becomes heated or you have to remember something complex tell the caller you will call them back later.

This is a decision each driver must make. What will you decide to do?

Maybe a life was saved on Tuesday April 26th. Lat week as you drove by the site where Megan Birkle lost her life on Virtue Road you may have seen the fence was knocked down. A teenage driver of a small pickup truck lost control and went over the tree stump of the tree that ended Megan's life. This time there was no tree and the young man went through the fence onto the Willow Creek Golf Course.

Is it time for the Town of Farragut to decide what to do with this stretch of Virtue Road? The "personal responsibility" tack does not seem to be working. How many people must wreck on this stretch of road before the public decides something more must be done?

Is it time for a traffic signal at Kingston Pike and Virtue Road? Is it time for this stretch of Virtue Road to be re-engineered and made safe for all drivers?

Most importantly is it time for the people that use this road to stand up and make their voice heard?

Not everyone agrees. You decide. Which is more important, people or trees?

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2005/02/2158.html

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2005/02/2154.html

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2005/04/2520.html

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2005/02/2118.html

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2005/02/2202.html

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2005/03/2357.html

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2005/03/2440.html