If I had something to do about it, these would be some of the proposals that I would entertain.  Some of this makes too much sense, but since I'm not in politics, I have no idea what any of this would cost, and what repercussions it would lead to.  Simply, these are ideas that I have while driving to make it a better environment for myself and those on the road.

• High automobile insurance rates
• Perceived "aggressiveness and unsafe" drivers in NJ
• Existing bad drivers on the roads
• Handheld cell phone users

Let's start at the beginning, with the 16 year old getting his permit.  In the State of NJ, you can start driving when you are 16, with a licensed adult.  Don't get me wrong...practice makes perfect.  I do not believe the problem starts here.  The issue starts AFTER the age of 17.

By some luck, most people pass their written and driving test by their 17th birthday.  Passing the written driving test is probably one of the most incredibly easy tasks in life that you only have to do ONCE.  Programming a VCR is much more difficult a task, and you have to do that MORE than once in your life!  You even get to cheat, with the VCR manual in front of you!  Of course, programming a VCR is much safer than driving.  Also, the programming of your VCR NEVER changes...it's the same each time.  Laws on the road change on a regular basis (ie.  mandatory seat belt use, right turn on red, lights on when wipers are on).  However, nobody seems to ever send me an update of some sort telling me this.  Oh, that's right...we need to find this out on our own somehow. 

The driving test is an unrealistic challenge of what will never happen.  You, on the road, completely alone.  Shit, if there were NOBODY on the road, I would probably be testing the adhesion limits of my tires around the widest, smoothest corners that I could find in the area.  Of course, I'd also be doing THREE TIMES the speed limit everywhere.  Of course, this is also not the case.  If NJ DMV wanted to make a REALISTIC test, here's my suggestions to the testing course:

• Add some Mom's in SUVs and MiniVans, on the PHONE, complete distracted, in front, behind and next to you.
• Add some "senior drivers" doing approximately 5-10mph slower than the posted limit.
• Now, the course must be TIMED, since everyone in their cars are in a rush.

If you managed NOT into an accident, do not run the "senior drivers" off the test course, and complete the course in a reasonable amount of time, you should pass.  Once passed, they're free to challenge the world by themselves.  Oh, by the way, YOU WILL NEVER BE TESTED AGAIN.

Now You Can Drive.  Now What?

Now that you have your license, time to fork over your entire paycheck to car insurance.  After driving in NJ for over a decade, I feel that this is the formula for calculating insurance:

Value of Car * 0.10 = Annual Insurance Rate (I'll call AIR for short)

So, you drive an $18,000 Honda Accord, your AIR should be $1800.  Don't forget the surcharges:

Under the age of 30	Add $500
Unmarried	Add $250
Car is any color except Brown	Add $300
Live in a house, in a safe neighborhood	Add $500
Points on your license	Add $300 per point
Because you were not born on Febuary 29th	Add $250
Total Added Charges	$1800 minimum

Now, your "adjusted" insurance premium is $3600 for 12 months ($300/month).  This is in addition to your monthly car payment.  However, if you happen to hit any of the above milestones (turning 30, getting married, driving a brown car), you can only deduct 1/10th of the actual surcharged value.  At least that always what it seems like.

Now that you have get a second job to pay for car insurance, where does this all go?  Probably to pay for the senseless car accidents out there.  Some accidents are indeed accidents.  It could be lapses in judgement (hey, nobody's perfect), bad road conditions, poor visibility, or even your Ford Explorer blowing out a tire and rolling down the GSP.  Someone has to pay for these accidents, and this someone is you and me.

The Meat and Potatoes

Here is the first step of my plan to make driving better in NJ.  Let address the drivers.  For example, lets take an important job (Firefighting) as an example.  On a regular basis, Firefighters must have refreshers, retrain, etc. to remain up to date on the latest techniques to make them better at their job.  So, as a driver, you're expected to be the best possible driver you can be by not taking ANY refresher courses, not get any updates on new techniques, no information anywhere?  How does this make sense?

Education is obviously lacking in drivers today.  Blame it on the state.  Blame it on budgetary reasons.  Blame it on someone.

My idea?  I've summarized my ideas for education below in a easy to read chart by age.

Don't Hate the Speeders

Doing 70mph on a 55mph freeway is hardly dangerous.  Today's cars are so advanced with tremendous performance, handling, braking that 15mph is EASY anywhere.

Driving while distracted, is dangerous.  On the phone, eating, smoking...anything to take your mind off the task at hand (driving) is more dangerous.

Anyone with a brain knows that if it rains, you slow down.  If it snows, take it easy.  If you can't see (fog, darkness, rain), slow down.  If a driver does NOT know this, they shouldn't be driving.  Period.  This is common sense stuff you cannot teach, so, don't try to do so.  These people obviously are going to weed themselves out one way or another.

How this Works

So, with this reform, how does it lower insurance?  With the unsafe drivers off the road, there will be less accidents (in theory).  Therefore, claims should go down.  Do you have any idea how much insurance cost in Montana?  It's cheap.  That's probably because the drivers there never have a chance to see another driver for days.

The speeders and those that "push the envelope" will get theirs...fines, penalties, tickets, etc.  Those speeders are probably better drivers, as they obviously can handle their cars going faster that the legal limit.  Then again, they're also probably paying attention to the road more (but not aware of the police).  Either way, if the do something REALLY dumb, they'll wipe themselves out as well (major accident, increased points, etc.)

So, then there's just you and me.  Trying to get to work.  Going to the store.  Going to the gym.  I'm pretty sure with the unsafe drivers off the road, we'll get there in one piece, without rushing.

Not a Perfect World

Ok, so the above proposal isn't that refined, but I'm working on that.  If you have ideas that you'd like to contribute, please email them to me at ben@benliaw.com.

Comments welcome.  Criticism is welcome as well, but know that this driver reform is MY opinion, and of course, I'm entitled to it.  If you hate it, tough luck.  If you like what you read (and would like to add to it), I guess I'm not the only one looking for safer and more enjoyable driving conditions in the Garden State.