ChicagoClout

My heart goes out to that firefighter's family. I can't beleive that @#$&# that was driving the school bus only got a ticket. That Pat, is totally unacceptable. What if she was driving a bus and hit and killed a child, what happens, a ticket. Get real, Pat I am a hardworking taxpayer of Chicago, but first I am a mother, if that was my child, I don't what I would do. Daley, Blago, and others need to get together and make these people who hit pedestrians, emergency personnel or anything of that nature and they kill them, they need to do some jail time. I love your site, keep up the good work.

I guess you've never been in an auto accident that was unavoidable.

Sometimes, no matter how careful a driver you are, there's nothing that you can do to overcome the laws of physics.

We don't know precisely how this accident happened.

We can be confident that the driver of the school bus wishes it had not.

If, God forbid, something like this should happen to you, that you were driving a vehicle and you could not avoid the accident, would you still feel the same?

Punishment is reserved for deliberate and/or negligent actions.

It has yet to be determined if this accident was either deliberate or negligent.

Save your @#$&# feelings for a more suitable circumstance.

Pat, here's an idea that I've had for several years now, but am too lazy to do anything about. :)

It started with wondering why, in this day and age of technology, emergency vehicles still depend entirely on flashing lights and sirens to warn people of their approach.

So, I came up with this general idea:

Design and build a device which broadcasts a specific signal which can only be received by a device designed for same.

The range of the signal need be only as broad as it is calculated to need to be, to achieve a greater warning radius from a given emergency vehicle than is presently achieved by sirens and flashing lights, say 1,000 yards, give or take.

With a receiver, capable of indicating, with, say an 8 LED display, the 4 directions of Front, Rear, Left and Right, and the 4 sub-directions 45 degrees between same, installed in a vehicle's dashboard, a driver could have a far earlier and more informative warning of the approach of an emergency vehicle.

If those emergency vehicles whose approach has no element of 'secrecy' involved, ie. fire and medical vehicles, had this broadcast device in them, activated at the same time as the sirens and flashing lights, and, if the public were offered the opportunity to purchase the receiver unit, with, perhaps, a reduced insurance premium or license plate fee as an inducement to have one,
it might be very helpful in preventing accidents of this type.

While I understand that the concept being simple doesn't mean that the execution will be, it's something to consider and, maybe pass along to those with far more knowledge of electronics than I.

Know anybody?

While I think your suggestion was made in jest, you have a very intelligent idea. The approach of police or fire trucks should alert all radios in the area to change to a warning signal. But something practical is not possible in Chicago with all the waste and corruption. Emergency stoplight systems are in the suburbs, why not Chicago? Any mayor worth a shit would have come back from vacation for that fireman's funeral. Any mayor worth a damn should have flown back for Al Sanchez's indictment. Oh, well you voted for the midget....

Actually, it wasn't, which may confirm just how lazy I am.

I appreciate your appreciation of the concept, especially the several variations you stated.

It certainly seems doable to provide emergency vehicles with equipment that could contemporaneously change traffic signals as the vehicle approaches the intersection.

Like you said, tho, the 'powers-that-be' have to first give-a-fuck about more than lining their already stuffed pockets.

Once again, we're back to the question of why so few citizens understand how harmful corrupt government is.