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Show Better awareness means drivers are arriving alive at 65 I NEVER ' TOLDTHE I PRESIDENT I AM THE I MATCHED YOUR SOCKS I FALL-GUY' Chris J. Miller Editor-in-Chief When the U.S. House of Representatives voted to allow the 65-mile-an-hour speed limit to go back into effect on 43,000 miles of interstate highways, the furor raised by numerous interest groups was amazingly loud and long. These safety advocate groups screamed bloody (as in auto accident) murder about the impending peril that would occur because of the 10-mile-an-hour increase. Yet, in the short time since the return to the 65-mph speed limit, things just haven't been that bad. In fact, according to statistics released by the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Utah Department of Transportation, traffic fatalities have gone down. Last year there were 39 fatalities in June, but this year fatalities were much lower, with only 21. Memorial Day, traditionally a tough weekend for the nation's drivers, was much the same. Highway safety officials predicted six fatalities for the weekend, but fortunately, this year, only one death was reported. How is it possible we could be increasing our speed, yet becoming more safety conscious? There seems to be many contributing reasons that have combined to make the roads a little safer. With the increase in speeds, many people who have for years disregarded the speed limit are becoming more conscious about just how fast they are going. Try going for a long drive these days, and notice how often the topic of speed limits comes up. People now are more aware of the speed limit and probably more alert overall. Seat belts play a major part of highway safety, and the same UHP report previously mentioned shows that seat belt use continues to climb, edging close to the 50-percent mark. To date, eighteen states have passed mandatory seat belt laws The national government is doing its best to keep things safer, by threatening to deny federal highway funds to states that do not observe the 55 or 65 mph speed limit. According to UDOT engineers, Utah estimates that 42.5 of the state's cars exceed the speed limits. 50 percent or more would mean loss of federal funds. Probably one of the most important areas where the nation is becoming more safety conscious is in the drinking-age limit. All states except Wyoming and Ohio have either raised or are in the process of raising the purchase-age minimum to 21. No one can estimate how many deaths have been prevented by this law, but it is well worth it. The UHP has instituted a four-part highway safety program which seems to be helping people in the state become more aware of the role everyone plays in traffic safety. According to a brochure proclaiming the program, if people would just do four things, conditions would be a lot better. The four things are, 1- fasten your seat belt; 2-adjust your driving attitude; 3- obey the speed limit; and 4- don't drink and drive. Actually, these are good ideas that we all should have been worried about a long time ago. And if it means saving one life, or easing the burden on overall safety, then it is more than worth the effort. The fact of the matter is, the highways and freeways of this nation are being made safer in many ways. The increase of the speed limit is a reasonable one, and with increased awareness, traffic fatalities need not increase. With increased awareness, they should even go down. It is true we will bA- spending more time at the gas station. But in this fast-paced society, it must be worth the extra 18 minutes every 100 miles. FACT: It has been estimated that the world spends more than two million dollars every minute on nuclear arms. Boy, if another world ever attacks us, won't we be ready! Who are we afraid of anyway? ; THANKS, 1 OLUE S & 1 5 THANKS,; JOHN : : WHAT WOULD I DO ! WITHOUT YOU, NANCY i Birth of 5 billionth is time to reflect Blaine Bringhurst Sports Editor Five billion is an extensively large number that has been in the news a lot lately and may be thought of by more people nowadays. Why would people think about that number? It is not large enough a number to cover the amount of grains of sand on a beach, nor immense enough to count the stars in a moonlit sky. Yet, it far surpasses the enrollment of Weber State College and the population of the state of Utah. So why is five billion a number worth noting? Because that is the number of people that now live on the planet Earth. Last week, the Earth's population reached the awe-inspiring figure of five billion with the birth of little Matej Gaspar of Yugoslavia. Five billion human beings live their lives across six different continents. All of us have one thing in common: We live on the same planet. But in many cases, that is where the similarity ends. The people of the Earth live in many different countries. Each country has its own climate-and its own type of government. So who, of the five billion residents on Earth are the best off? Of the world's current population, very few are lucky enough to have the privilege of living in a free country. Most of the Earth's population are not in control of their destiny as "we Americans" are. The majority of the world's current population lives in Asia, which includes large countries like China, India, and the Soviet Union. It is no secret that the citizens of these countries are not given the rights they deserve. Most Asians live in a Communist-controlled country and are therefore deprived of many of their human rights. It can easily be said that most Asians are not as lucky as "we Americans" are. Another major percentage of the Earth's population resides in Africa. In Africa, the people arc often tormented by the hot and dry climate. Few are able to find enough food and water sufficient for a healthy life. Because of this, very few members of the population live past the age of fifty. Besides the frequent famines and droughts of Africa, citizens of the continent have been plagued with poor leadership. Constant fighting and bickering have been a way of life in Africa for centuries. Wars have killed many of those that the famines have not yet reached. The people of Africa have not been blessed with the bounty that "we Americans" enjoy. South America is the host of 70 percent of the Earth's vegetation, but is home to less than 12 percent of Earth's five billion inhabitants. The natives of South America live in less-than-ideal conditions. The Amazon River of Brazil is the lifcblood of South America. Unfortunately, the river is contaminated with an untold number of leaches and parasites. Standards of living in South America are not quite up to par for most of "we Americans." In Europe, home of about 20 percent of the Earth's population, there are a lot of small countries. These countries have very intriguing cultures and are all very different. The only problem with living in Europe would be trying to decide which language to learn. Because of the numerous languages, it would be tough to communicate in Europe. It's a lot easier to speak one language as "we Americans" do. Now we come to that little group of islands known as Australia. The climate is pretty good in Australia. And the people are free; they live in a democratic society. Even the living conditions are good in Australia. The Australian people were also smart enough to choose one language. The problem the Aussies have is with their stupid little accent. Their accent is becoming commonly heard and is annoying too. Why can't they just speak as "we Americans" do? When it comes right down to it, "we Americans" are the luckiest of the five billion people that inhabit this planet We have the freedom to pursue our own goals and ambitions; we have plenty of food and water; and we have a very high standard of living. Yes, of all the five billion people on Earth, "we Americans" have the best place to live. Letter Policy The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. They must be typed and should not exceed 300 words in length. For subjects requiring greater exposition, arrangements may be made with the editor-in-chief. Letters MUST include name, address, phone number, relationship to WSC (student, faculty, staff, Ogden resident, etc.) and the signature of the writer. Letters will not be printed without this information. The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and reserves the right to refuse to print any letter deemed inappropriate. |