Highway Deaths and Cash Cows

Recently an acquaintance of ours was killed in traffic accident. A trailer being towed by a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction broke loose, crossed the center median and struck her vehicle. My understanding is she was killed instantly. The tragedy was worsened by the fact her young children witnessed the accident as they were following her in another vehicle.

Although the accident happened in Mississippi, it happens all too often in Louisiana. Several states have taken the issue in hand by installing a cable fence designed to prevent an out of control vehicle from crossing the median into the oncoming traffic. I first saw one of these while driving through Alabama and thought it was good idea. I think natural barriers such as trees and heavy landscaping would also work. In addition to lives saved, a money savings would occur by not having to mow the area. The trees could help the environment and slow the climate change.

I suspect our legislators will be slow in appropriating money for the highway department to construct these barriers. After all, several legislators have made a lot of money filing lawsuits against the state for failing to correct hazardous or neglectful situations. Go figure, a state senator creates his own personal cash cow by not funding state agencies so he can turn around and file a lawsuit against the state in his private law practice. Stopping legislators from filing law suits against the state should be priority in Governor Jindal's ethics reform package and also save lives.