To Protect Pedestrians, Stop Yelling at Drivers
Speaking with a reporter in 1977, William Haddon, the first administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, presented an unorthodox solution to the country’s vehicular-death problem: Don’t preach to drivers. At the time, not unlike today, public service announcements and police patrols blamed road fatalities on drivers’ mistakes.“I think that’s too high a penalty for being human,” Haddon told the reporter.