Helmet laws and medicine safety caps could follow the adage “good intentions, bad results”

Plz make a 4-5 sentence comments to two students.

https://criticalcommons.org/view?m=gFlRFljeg

student#1

• Describe how helmet laws and medicine safety caps could follow the adage “good intentions, bad results”.

It is apparent that the people who wear a helmet have good intentions. Bikers are trying to stay safe and protect their head. The people around them may see someone wearing a helmet as experienced and aware of their surroundings. Drivers may feel less inclined to avoid them when they are driving by. From the video, it is clear that we have settle biases because drivers gave female bikers and those who do not wear helmets more space. This may be due to the fact they are not wearing a helmet and worry about hitting the biker. The drivers have good intentions but also may be sending a message to the biker that it is okay not to wear a helmet. Drivers will be cautious of you.

• Consider the potential unintended consequences of installing a traffic signal at an intersection in a school zone? Can you make a case for not installing the signal?

It is possible to say that if traffic signals were installed near a school zone, drivers will be less inclined to drive more cautiously. Drivers may see a traffic signal as a sign of reassurance that children will not attempt to cross the street if it is not their turn. Drivers will be less cautious of their surroundings because they are relying on the traffic signal to indicate whether children are around or if the school is in session. Inherently, as drivers, we tend to have tunnel vision or even go on automatic mode when we are used to taking a certain road. This is because we are familiar with it and it makes us less vigilant versus if we were driving through a new and unknown area.

• Give one example of where you have been impacted first hand by te “unintended consequences” of a policy at home, school, or by government.

My high school was a pilot for small schools that specialized or focused on certain careers such as law, business, medical, and media. They had us take a test similar to an aptitude test that would place us in a school that would best fit our interests and perhaps learning style. At the time, I did not realize what an impact this would make on me but it did. It was not until after high school that I learned the purpose of a school board and how it impacted my learning. I think if I was aware of it at the time I would have made a bigger fuss about it because I didn’t feel as though that changed helped me greatly. I did learn a lot but the system seemed inefficient. I understand it was to help children develop skills in the things they were interested in but I think it was executed poorly.

student#2

• Describe how helmet laws and medicine safety caps could follow the adage “good intentions, bad results”.

The ideas behind these actions/inventions came with the idea in order to prevent something- harm. While these things may prevent harm in one way, does not guarantee that it will prevent from harm in 100 other ways. As stated in the video in regards to the helmets, people felt more careless because they felt less at risk.

• Consider the potential unintended consequences of installing a traffic signal at an intersection in a school zone? Can you make a case for not installing the signal?

While it sounds like this reduce the chance of accidents and hitting children, I believe this would increase the possibility of hitting pedestrians, especially children. In one scenario, suppose a 2nd grader only lives across the street, while most children are taught to look both ways, that may not suit a situation in which a person on the same corner as the child makes a right at a red stop. Same situation if a person makes a yielded left while oncoming traffic is occuring. The child doesn’t know to look for these possibilities. Another situation that may occur is that the driver is too focused on the stoplight as a whole. They may be more focused seeing if whether to go or stop rather than keeping a peripheral view out for children.

• Give one example of where you have been impacted first hand by the “unintended consequences” of a policy at home, school, or by government.

This is kind of dark but when I was in the fifth grade, there was this thing called safety patrol where basically it was a crowded street with a three way stop and they had a few kids hold down some stop signs in order to maintain traffic. It sounded good in theory, give some kids some power and act like they’re benefitting society, maintain soccer moms from hitting each others minivans. One day while we were packing up, this girl didn’t put up her hand and hold the pole out (which I personally don’t believe would have saved her anyway) got hit by a car. Safety patrol still went on afterwards but I would consider that a fair unintended consequence.