2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the editor
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Opinion
Bad drivers - the real blame
"Life comes at you fast" is a quote from a car-insurance commercial.
We see a lot of stunt-driven or simulated crashes on T.V., in games or at the movies. Stunt drivers and movie stars get to walk away from their crashes, some without even a scratch.
These simulations do not truly represent the pain and tragedy involved. Every day on the highways of this nation, many people lose family members. In 2006, the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes was 42,642.
Many people instantly blame larger vehicles, like 18-wheelers, for such tragedy. In actuality, only 12 percent of accidents in 2006 involved a large truck.
Truck drivers are constantly accused of drinking, speeding, not paying attention, failure to yield or not staying in the proper lane. In all the recorded incidents, only 2 percent of truck drivers involved in accidents were legally intoxicated, compared to 23 percent of car drivers. In driver-related factors, only 39 percent of truck drivers were cited compared to a whopping 66 percent of passenger-vehicle drivers.
When other conditions, such as weather factors, are introduced, still only 23 percent of truck drivers were ticketed in comparison to 33 percent of car drivers according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
I have no ties to the trucking industry. I have even experienced what a bad truck driver is capable of. Still, I do not prejudge all truck drivers based on the actions of one. After all, prejudice in any form is wrong.
Ezraline Woods
Senior
German and Spanish
Editorial rude, tacky
I posted a comment online about your article: "Daycare is costly, but kids don't belong in university classes."
It takes a lot, and I mean a whole hell of a lot, to offend me. I'm a laid-back person and don't typically take offense to much of anything. However, this article in the Traveler truly offended me.
I am disappointed in the Traveler and the tackiness in which the article was written. It is 100 percent rude. A student with children should have written this article. An article stating the etiquette of bringing your child to campus would have been more positive and constructive.
An apology is needed. I am completely disgusted with the entire article.
Lena Marshall
Senior
Art
Diamond Hogs should appreciate fans
Recently I took my family to a Razorback baseball game.
It was our first trip and we were very excited to be there. It was hardly a packed stadium and the lines weren't long. We had fun even though our team was not fairing well. We called the Hogs and bought food, some shirts and a baseball.
Unfortunately we weren't able to see our team finish with a victory, but we stayed after the game so the kids could get the ball autographed and see some of the players. What shocked me was the rudeness of some of the student athletes after the game. Half a dozen players walked right by several groups of kids holding out their balls and programs to be signed. A few players, like Number 7 and Number 9, stopped and spoke with the kids and posed for pictures.
I am a student at the university and a mother of future students. We support our athletics by spending money at school-sponsored games, but the athletes do not feel any responsibility to the fans at all. Outside of the handful of players who stopped, most of the team was oblivious to fan appreciation.
My grievance is directed at the coaching and department staff. Molding student athletes into the best they can be encompasses more than just performance on the field. It involves performance off the field too.
We never had this happen at the women's games. The Lady'Backs always visit with the kids after the games. Is this just a problem within men's sports?
If the fans stop coming to watch you play, then what? Win or lose, you can't forget the fans. We will not spend another $100 on a UA baseball game again.
Carrie McCabe
Senior
Political Science
"Life comes at you fast" is a quote from a car-insurance commercial.
We see a lot of stunt-driven or simulated crashes on T.V., in games or at the movies. Stunt drivers and movie stars get to walk away from their crashes, some without even a scratch.
These simulations do not truly represent the pain and tragedy involved. Every day on the highways of this nation, many people lose family members. In 2006, the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes was 42,642.
Many people instantly blame larger vehicles, like 18-wheelers, for such tragedy. In actuality, only 12 percent of accidents in 2006 involved a large truck.
Truck drivers are constantly accused of drinking, speeding, not paying attention, failure to yield or not staying in the proper lane. In all the recorded incidents, only 2 percent of truck drivers involved in accidents were legally intoxicated, compared to 23 percent of car drivers. In driver-related factors, only 39 percent of truck drivers were cited compared to a whopping 66 percent of passenger-vehicle drivers.
When other conditions, such as weather factors, are introduced, still only 23 percent of truck drivers were ticketed in comparison to 33 percent of car drivers according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
I have no ties to the trucking industry. I have even experienced what a bad truck driver is capable of. Still, I do not prejudge all truck drivers based on the actions of one. After all, prejudice in any form is wrong.
Ezraline Woods
Senior
German and Spanish
Editorial rude, tacky
I posted a comment online about your article: "Daycare is costly, but kids don't belong in university classes."
It takes a lot, and I mean a whole hell of a lot, to offend me. I'm a laid-back person and don't typically take offense to much of anything. However, this article in the Traveler truly offended me.
I am disappointed in the Traveler and the tackiness in which the article was written. It is 100 percent rude. A student with children should have written this article. An article stating the etiquette of bringing your child to campus would have been more positive and constructive.
An apology is needed. I am completely disgusted with the entire article.
Lena Marshall
Senior
Art
Diamond Hogs should appreciate fans
Recently I took my family to a Razorback baseball game.
It was our first trip and we were very excited to be there. It was hardly a packed stadium and the lines weren't long. We had fun even though our team was not fairing well. We called the Hogs and bought food, some shirts and a baseball.
Unfortunately we weren't able to see our team finish with a victory, but we stayed after the game so the kids could get the ball autographed and see some of the players. What shocked me was the rudeness of some of the student athletes after the game. Half a dozen players walked right by several groups of kids holding out their balls and programs to be signed. A few players, like Number 7 and Number 9, stopped and spoke with the kids and posed for pictures.
I am a student at the university and a mother of future students. We support our athletics by spending money at school-sponsored games, but the athletes do not feel any responsibility to the fans at all. Outside of the handful of players who stopped, most of the team was oblivious to fan appreciation.
My grievance is directed at the coaching and department staff. Molding student athletes into the best they can be encompasses more than just performance on the field. It involves performance off the field too.
We never had this happen at the women's games. The Lady'Backs always visit with the kids after the games. Is this just a problem within men's sports?
If the fans stop coming to watch you play, then what? Win or lose, you can't forget the fans. We will not spend another $100 on a UA baseball game again.
Carrie McCabe
Senior
Political Science
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