Edges of the System

The built environment and it's larger systems or meta systems are often more fragile that expected and small problems at the periphery can easily run out of control. Multiplying stress factors in a troubled economy can spell trouble on highways and what should be routine in terms of highway patrol interaction can turn deadly when anger, rage are part of the picture.

Take at look at this story http://tiny.cc/bjdog out of UK (Londonderry). The driver is operating as if law enforcement is irrelevant and not part of a support system design to make the transportation system safe. In this story the officer involved was simply directing traffic outside busy amusement park and the angered driver chose to loop around and pull up to the office and begin shouting obscenities at him. What does all this screaming a ranting achieve? The car in this case also is catalyst for conflict that being a special protective and proprietary barrier for the public service worker to have to deal with. It's strange that law enforcement and government organizations do not have a electronic governor control/kill switch that can be operated remotely by an approaching officer - that kills power to the car engine... essentially eliminating the threat of a drive off, hit and run or dragging (as it was in this case). How many time have you heard of this happening to law enforcement officers? Drivers extend the feeling of private ownership from the car to the road and misperceive the basic functions of the roadway - thinking it is their space... their road and right to plunder through others would get in the way.

We all have frustrations... but will this behavior result in with young kids in the car. Did this officer deserve to be treated this way or for that matter be dragged by this driver along the roadway. We have to keep in mind that our roads (in any country) are a system designed to accommodate all types of drivers and some patience is required -even when the system is overloaded - which I guess it was in this case. There are so many alternative ways to deal with the anger... one of them potentially being a change of plans if in fact the family was headed to a crowded amusement park and instead find a quite camp ground or seaside park.