My name is Killian Malecky and I am a Boy Scout of Troop 115. For the Communications Merit Badge, I have to reach out to an editor or publisher and explain something that I feel strongly about. For that I would like to talk about driving in Tennessee.
To start, I believe that the driving test is much too easy. From personal experience, all I was required to do was drive around a block that had one or two left turns and crossed a railroad. For this to be all that new drivers need to roam free is absurd and only putting others in danger.
Next comes the slap on the wrist punishments for driving dangerously.
I know at least five people who have been pulled over going 30+ mph over the speed limit, got a ticket, fought it in court, and got everything dropped. While I do think many tickets are just money grabs, not punishing people for their bad driving only allows it to get worse.
Then comes the road conditions and traffic lights. Many of the roads in Chattanooga are almost unsafe to drive on due to the amount of potholes, the extremely small lanes (Think Main Street), and the terrible sight lines. Then there are the traffic lights which are terribly timed. Right outside my house is an intersection to a busy road where the light of the road that intersects the busy road takes 3-5 minutes to change, even if the normally busy road is empty, which is absurd. If one goes down Brainerd Road during any slightly busy hour, they would know that oce one light turns green, the next light immediately turns red with no chance of making it through. Many traffic lights in Chattanooga are like this and it just adds to the already annoying amount of traffic, especially with the highway being constantly worked on.
Finally is the amount of possible DUIs. As someone who works in fast food, many people come through the drive through either currently smoking marijuana/drinking, or having the remains of both out in the open of their car. When driving, I feel it is extremely noticeable as many people just make the weirdest decisions and have very poor reaction times to things.
Overall, I feel that driving in Chattanooga is very unsafe, and I am not entirely sure that there is a great way to fix it, but to start I feel the driving test should be much more rigorous than it is, and punishments for infractions should actually be given and not dismissed.
Killian Malecky