Titanic: In Memory of Those Lost

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic was this year on April 15th. The ship collided with an iceburg on April 15th 1912 after beginning of its maiden (and only) voyage. On this maiden voyage there were more than two thousand passangers and eight hundred crew members. The over-estimation and title as the unsinkable ship may have created an  unhealthy arrogance that led to this disaster. The lack of lifeboats, in favor of looking aesthetically pleasing and adhering to the upper classes' taste for the extravagant.

At the same time, however, the Titanic was image of technological innovation. The artistry that was put into the different areas of the ship and the group of people that came together to construct this mammoth of a ship. Despite its tragic end it is important respect and honor those that spent their time working on the ship. The reality, though, is that there were many people lost in this tragedy due to human error. It is an important lesson to recognize in future ventures and scientific discoveries.

Of the 2224 passengers aboard the ship on its maiden voyage, only 32% managed to get to a life boat and survive. The problem with the situation was that there was only enough room for a little over 50% of the passengers and crew members. The panic of the situation made it even more difficult to ensure that more survived.

There are numerous books and stories surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. It is an event that has stirred curiosity in people for a century and will most likely continue to intrigue people and increase awareness and knowledge of safety boats.

To find more information about the Titanic, its crew, and those who perished in its demise check your local library. More information can also be Found at the website Titanic-Titanic.com and others.

Toyota: Unintend Acceleration

Given that the USA Today, CNN, NewYork Times and multiple other publications have released information that the problem with the gas pedal and acceleration has still gone unchecked is a warning sign for Toyota. The continued blame on customers will create disloyalty and people will slowly no longer buy those cars. According to Paul A. Eisenstein from MSNBC:

A two-year study looking for possible causes behind Toyota’s rash of unintended acceleration issues has put primary blame on driver error — but the review by the National Academy of Sciences also cautioned that some problems may have been caused by inadvertent interactions involving vehicle electronics — an issue frequently cited by the automaker’s critics.

When did this problem crop up? It started in the summer of 2009 after an accident that resulted in the death of a California Patrol Officer and members of his family. They had been driving a borrowed Lexus at the time. According to Toyota this accident was caused by a problem with carpet entrapment. In January of 2010, however, "it added millions more due to a potentially sticky accelorator linkage" (Eisenstein.)

After having a Toyota myself (1998 Toyota Camry) and experienced an accident while driving I know that they are safe, particularly during collisions. The recent news of the unsolved mystery of the acceleration cases has me questioning whether I would even consider purchasing a Toyota in the future. At the current rate, I will stick with either Volkswagen or Volvo.

Further Reading: Toyota Memo Acceleration Concerns, Drivers Again Faulted Over Toyota Acceleration, OPINION: Toyota's Acceleration Problem, Driver error found in some Toyota acceleration cases, Toyota Acceleration Problem is Still Unresolved

Toyota Recalls:
Safety Recall
Pedal Recall

Are truck and Semi Laws in the US good enough?

On Monday January 16th, 2012 there was a BMW rear-ended in on a SoCal bridge north of Santa Barbara, California. The accident was recreated on the news, proposing that the truck had hit the car from behind afterwards the truck had veered off the road and plunged into the ravine below. The driver was killed after it had burst into flames. The BMW, however, was left to sit precariously on the edge of the bridge after breaking through part of the concrete barrier. The three individuals in the car, a mother and her two kids, were eventually rescued from the vehicle from a combination of rescue workers and passerbys with the equipment that was needed.

From 1997 to 2000, I lived in Tervuren, Belgium due to my father's opportunity to work overseas and much of the laws (many of them my mother has told me about the after the fact). These include seat belt laws, semi-trailer truck laws, and driving and drinking laws. The seat belt laws are much more ridgid then many of the laws in the states. At the same time it is one of the laws that becomes difficult to enforce, except when stopping a person for another law.

It's compulsory to wear a seat belt (ceinture de sécurité/autogordel), including in the back seats if belts are fitted. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure all passengers wear their belts (and the driver will be fined if passengers are not belted in).

There were also certain 'etiquette laws' , particularly involving semis. My mother has told me that in Europe semis included: not pass cars (sedans, vans, etc), drive on the left (like all traffic there), and general courtesy to the other drivers of the road. Other laws included that passing on the right is illegal (meaning switching lanes with the purpose of passing a car) and only moving into the left lane when passing another car, or in the case of semi-trailer trucks another semi. In addition this many of the drunk driving laws in Europe have zero tolerance along with steep fines. Along with that the limit is much lower than other countries in the area (such as the UK (including Scotland, England, and Wales). Consequences for going over the limit can include a 5 year licence suspension and six months in jail along with the large fines. The question that I've found most disconcerting for in the United States drunk driving laws, is why are there individuals who have more than one DWI or DUI and what can we do to increase the laws against drunk driving?

Questions:
Are current traffic laws protecting people from fatal accidents?
How much does distracted driving impair our ability to drive safely (including but not limited to drink holders, talking on the phone, passenger interaction, etc.)?
Are the laws against drunk driving serious enough?
Should semi-trailer truck laws be reassessed?
Are there any laws which protect the semi-trailer truck drivers?
How much is the commercial industry pressuring semi-truck trailer drivers to take on unreasonably long hauls without proper rest?

Resources: Driving in Belgium, Driving in Europe, Road Rules and Driving in Belgium, Driving Laws in Belgium, SADD Statistics, MADD Statistics, Drunk Driving Accident Statistics, Drunk Driving Fatalities