25 MAY 06: WHEELY SAFE
Well, well - a nationwide study released Wednesday indicates in one way, Columbus IS a relatively safe city after all. And no, Brent Rollins, I don't think the Bob Poydasheff re-election committee paid for this one....
This study examined how safe you are while driving. Allstate Insurance compared close to 200 U.S. cities -- and Columbus finished better than all but one Georgia city. Maybe the J.R. Allen Parkway has the right number of lanes after all.
Columbus scored 70th out of almost 200 U.S. cities, in terms of driving safety. Savannah and Atlanta ranked well below #100 - showing that it pays for our city NOT to have a St. Patrick's Day parade.
The Allstate study ranked cities as driver-safe based on their populations, and the average time between crashes for drivers. If these are the criteria, cities like Atlanta with NASCAR races ought to be well down the list.
The report shows the typical Columbus driver goes 9.8 years between car wrecks. It's admittedly tempting at times to wish the crazy drivers behind me stood at 9.79 years and counting....
Take this recent example: Last weekend near the Columbus Home Depot, I slowed to turn onto the short street west of Sam's Club. But two cars behind me, a metallic orange car cut the corner and hurried away ahead of me! The car had only a paper tag, too - so perhaps the driver just picked it up, maybe from a total stranger.
I tend to let the wild drivers go, with a shake of my head in disbelief more than a shake of the fist in anger. Besides, I drive a 12-year-old Honda which is much too old for chasing down speeders.
(That 12-year-old Honda was bought after I was in TWO collisions in Atlanta. On the same day. After church. At practically opposite ends of the same entrance ramp to the Downtown Connector. Twice the wrecks mean twice the insurance confusion....)
But I confess there are times when I honk my horn at intersections - not because drivers in front of me don't notice the changing light, but because of drivers who speed past me well after the light turns red. If they're not going to alert crossing drivers, someone must....
Oh yes - which Georgia city ranks above Columbus for safe driving? It's Augusta in 59th place. Apparently the only time drivers are at risk there is when the Masters golf tournament shortens the fairways.
But the Allstate study indicates Alabama cities are safer than Georgia cities for driving. Huntsville was fourth in the country, and Birmingham was 15th. I think I can explain the lack of wrecks in Birmingham. Too many drivers are waiting in lines on U.S. 78, north of downtown.
Now for other interesting distractions along the Wednesday path:
+ The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation had its graduation day at Fort Benning. This year there are 49 graduates, and 29 of them U.S. residents. So is THIS where the U.S. government's finding all the guards at Guantanamo Bay -- the ones accused of being insensitive and unethical?
+ WRBL reported the proposed Columbus city budget would mean the end of METRA bus service to Green Island. Are you kidding me - city buses run to Green Island?! These must be for the country club servers and landscaping crew....
(So much for our two mayoral candidates setting a fuel-efficient example, and taking METRA from their Green Island homes to the Government Center. But then again, I thought that neighborhood had restrictive covenants for things such as buses.)
+ WDAK Radio's Scott Miller rejected suggestions by his "Morning Show" colleagues that he should run for Jack Rodgers's seat on Columbus Council. He'd actually make a good candidate this year - because during Columbus State sports events, he complains about officials all the time.
+ The Columbus Parks Department began offering free summer lunches to children. Remember, youngsters - every long loaf of bread which becomes hard and dry could be used as a baseball bat, to save money.
+ Etowah eliminated Hardaway from the state high school baseball playoffs 6-5. The winning run was scored in the bottom of the seventh, when an Etowah batter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. It wasn't a "walk-off home run" - but a walkover to the home team's trainer.
(Columbus High School won its third-game showdown over Cartersville, but Harris County lost 6-5 to Blessed Trinity. Yeah, right - tell the Harris County players that other team is "blessed." They might say it's simply lucky.)
+ Taylor Hicks of Hoover, Alabama won "American Idol." He'll receive a big recording contract - and he probably can name his price for an endorsement deal with "Just for Men" hair coloring.
(This makes two champions of "American Idol" from Alabama, not to mention Bo Bice making the final round last year. All this talk about "Alabama Idols" must be driving Bible-believing Roy Moore crazy....)
+ Instant Message to Rivertown Church on Schomberg Road: Does your pastor go to bed early on Saturday nights? His series on "America's Idols" is almost exactly what Bill Purvis at Cascade Hills Church did a couple of years ago.
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