We have a new bad spot here as well. Not saying it's the change to 80mph on I-15 but the number of accidents between Pocatello and Idaho Falls have gone up dramatically since that decision. Especially at mile marker 108 just north of Blackfoot where the highway is straight, flat, with nothing extraordinary. I don't know the numbers but it is quite regular including deaths.
Bappo,
Here is a tale that relates to highway safety. Long straight roads can be dangerous. It's worse in a car with no music, or no passengers (for conversation). The mind fixates on the "vanishing point" of the road ahead, and typically that results in a one-car roll-over accident. The problem is called "highway hypnosis." In the USA, highway standards are set (now) regulating the length of straightaways, but roads laid down before the 1950s can be too long and straight to be safe. I believe the higher speed limits may be causing drivers to pay total attention to the road, rather than looking around more at the scenery, as they would at lower speeds.
A very old 1950s TV show, "Man and the Challenge," had an episode about highway hypnosis. The show always started with a "rocket sled" clip, showing the development of fighter aircraft ejection seats. For this highway episode, a scientist put a live chicken on a table, and had to work at keeping the bird contained there, They put down a long stripe (colored tape) on the table, and held the chicken's head near one end, until the bird looked down the tape. The bird was instantly "hypnotized." It just stood there, head low, looking down the tape line. They said the bird would stare down along that line forever, until it starved to death. The scientist put a white card in front of the bird, blocking the view of the tape, and the bird "came to" immediately.
I once had a "pea parrot," and we were great friends, at least until he came down with mites. The poor bird was practically scratching his feathers out, but giving him a "mite bath" with medicated powder was a serious struggle. He fought me with beak and claw, and I had to worry that he would hurt himself in the fight. I still remembered that old TV show, so I put a long stripe of tape on a table, before his next mite bath. I put a few of his favorite seeds on the table, which he was happy to wander around and eat. I put a few more seeds down, but spaced along the tape stripe. He walked over and ate one, then looked down the tape for the next one. It was like somebody had snapped a switch; he just stared down the stripe, motionless. I got the mite powder, and used a soft artists' brush to dust him with it. I could slowly spread his wings and tail feathers, and dust him completely. When finished, I put a white paper in front of his head. He instantly took wing, and flew back to his "house." He grumbled at me each time, but we remained friends, because he never knew what was happening. We did this several times, until his mites were banished. The TV show had given me an effective alternative to main force, with my little friend.
Some people want to think that humans are not like birds, not prone to "highway hypnosis," even though they can not explain the one-car rollovers that we often see on straight roads. I think it is matter of boredom, mixed with staring at the "endless" road in front of them. Keeping the mind active (with lively music or chatter) is probably a decent defense against the problem. Take more rest breaks, when driving on the long straight stretches of roadways out West. This is serious stuff.
Cheers,
Infrared
