2007-08-02 05:52:58 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
oh ya i almost forgot i dont drive i am only 15 but still scared
2007-08-02 06:53:03 · update #1
Sure
2007-08-02 06:07:40 · answer #1 · answered by mybuttstinks2001 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Get a map, study it, study the geography of where you live work shop, figure out how to change your habits, where you live etc. if you do not want to be crossing places that have certain hazards.
Hey, these things happen. Plane crashes happen. Terrorist attacks happen. Welcome to life in the adult world.
There are people who work to try to reduce the risk, and there are people who lobby to lower taxes so that the country is less able to protect against the risks.
There are people who react to the latest crisis, like we have to spend all available money to protect against the next 9-11 and stop spending money on missile defense because North Korea can still hit Alaska with an ICBM, but instead we react to most recent disaster.
People need to get a grip on risk analysis, budget funds to deal with a spectrum of issues, including infrastructure maintenance, red teams that are a real surprise, address the GAO hot list of actions needed to protect the America of Tomorrow.
Someone said you safer now because this crisis will lead to more rigorous inspections and followups, but that is only true for the short term ... in a while there will be other crises in the news, other areas to focus attention, and the ball will get dropped again, until the next set of bridge collapses.
2007-08-02 13:27:14 · answer #2 · answered by Al Mac Wheel 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have driven over many bridges where there are stop lights at each end -- meaning the static load on the bridge is hundreds of thousands of pounds. I sincerely doubt that the bridges can stand that much stress for very long periods of time without eventually collapsing. If you drive over a bridge and you feel the bridge shaking or flexing, demand that the DOT in your state do a check on the bridge. Steel used in bridges is welded and if the welds are not good welds, the bridge can stress and collapse. Additionally, since we are importing our steel instead of manufacturing it here, it's quite possible that the quality of the steel is not good and therefore dangerous. Additionally, what is to stop terrorists from passing steel with internal flaws or even manufacturing it with flaws so that it's designed to fail over a period of time? Is it a coincidence that this bridge failed during rush hour traffic or is it possible that there are construction workers who are foreign nationals with foreign national sympathies who might have done something to allow the bridge to fail? Is it a coincidence that just days ago another bridge collapsed?
We need to take care of our infrastructures. We need to ensure that only U.S. Citizens and legal residents are working on our infrastructures so that we can be sure that we have quality work. Did you notice that the one person who was asked why the bridge failed had a foreign accent? Was he a U.S. Citizen? If not, why should we trust him to inspect, build or maintain our bridges? Where do his loyalties lie?
I share your concern about the bridges. I am more concerned about the fact that our government is unwilling or unable to spend our tax dollars here in the USA to ensure our safety and security and maintain our infrastructures. We, the citizens of the USA, need to start demanding that our government do the job that it is paid to do on all levels, federal, state, local and failure to do their jobs means we withhold their salaries and we impeach them or hold them accountable for their failures -- maybe like sue them and run their professional liability premiums through the roof like they have done to the citizens.
2007-08-02 13:23:39 · answer #3 · answered by Mindbender 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Not to worry. Since the bridge fell, they will put more attention on the remaining bridges and inspect them better. So actually, now you are safer than you were before. Relax, you are safe. You just need to get your confidence back.
good luck.
2007-08-02 12:58:02 · answer #4 · answered by Fordman 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Probably not, but that was almost certainly just a freak accident and I think you really don't have to worry.
2007-08-02 13:05:24 · answer #5 · answered by David C 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Are you really going to live in fear like that? This can't be a serious question.
2007-08-02 13:11:26 · answer #6 · answered by knoxvegascowgirl 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋