[Vision2020] Why Flags are not a Solution (was one injured in ... crossing)

[joekc at roadrunner.com]

Let me try to make my point about why flags are not a solution to our current 
crosswalk problem 
in another way since likely some will see my last argument as too 
"philosophical." And sorry to Deb 
and others if it seemed like I was being critical of jokes about the students. 
 
Suppose that we needed to build the military up rapidly. Would we (a) appeal to 
the responsibility 
of young men and women and issue a plea for enlistment, or (b) reinstate the 
draft? Maybe a 
better question is, Which option would be more effective? There (b) is the 
obvious choice. 
 
A few years back there was a horrible problem in our country with deaths caused 
by drunk drivers 
between the ages of 18-25. What did we do to reduce that death rate? Did we (a) 
appeal to 
the responsibility of young men and women and ask them to stop driving drunk, or 
(b) change the 
drinking age to 21? Well, we changed the drinking age to 21. For a long time the 
number of drunk 
driving accidents and deaths associated with them dropped sharply. (I've heard 
it is up again but 
I'm not sure.) 
 
Here's my point. I don't know of a single case in which the large scale behavior 
of folks from 18-25 
changed substantially because the members of that group suddenly started acting 
more 
responsibly. Any policy that banks on change for that reason seems doomed to 
failure. If someone 
can find a counterexample to that claim, I'd like to know what it is. In cases 
of possible 
counterexamples, I expect that there were coercive elements in play that can't 
be duplicated here. 
 
Flags are fine for towns like McCall, since most of the people using the flags 
are adults, not 
college aged kids. In a setting like that they are going to work well. Dan noted 
that many of the 
flags we did have went missing. Likely people stole them as a joke. I have yet 
to see a single 
person use a flag in the crosswalk. And there is the added problem that the 
foot-traffic flow is 
excessive toward the UI in the morning and away from the UI at night. Likely all 
of them will end 
up on the wrong side in no time at all. Flags have not worked so far for a 
number of reason and 
nothing has changed to indicate that they will start working now. 
 
But more important flags are not a solution because it is just another case in 
which we are expecting a population to act more responsibly even though they 
have demonstrated a failure 
to do so up to this point. Nor is there any change in the situation that might 
warrant a change in 
their behavior. People have given testimony of numerous youngsters acting 
irresponsibly while 
crossing the highway. If one is not going to take the time to walk safely across 
the highway in the 
first place, there is no reason to expect that he or she will grab a flag and 
then carelessly stroll. 
 
We have a real problem and we need a real solution. Flags are not the answer. 
Mark my words, 
without a viable solution accidents will continue to happen at about the rate 
that they have been. 
 
-- 
Joe Campbell