TUSCALOOSA, AL—Following yesterday’s automobile-related death of 27 year-old pedestrian Demetrius Jones in Tuscaloosa, Democratic lawmakers are calling for increased car control nationwide. Jones is the latest victim of vehicular homicide, which Democratic lawmakers pointed out was up 13 percent from the same period last year. Rallying around banners that have such mottoes as “Make Jones the Last” and “Remember Demetrius,” Democrats across the country have begun to demand greater regulation of automobiles.
The Department of Transportation (DOT), at the behest of the Democratic Party leadership, has released statistics for all automobile-related injuries and deaths. Notably, around 2 million drivers experience permanent injuries every year from car accidents alone. Because the crash risk is highest during the first year of drivers having a license, many officials worry that too many teenagers are given driver's licenses before they are even old enough to vote. 2020 presidential hopeful and former vice president, Joe Biden, commented on the driving age: “If these kids aren’t old enough to be dying for their country or to even be buying and smoking a cool pack of Camels, what are they doing on the road?”
Elizabeth Warren released a similar statement: “We lose eight children and teenagers to car violence every day,” Warren’s statement reads. “If a mysterious virus suddenly started killing eight of our children every day, America would mobilize teams of doctors and public health officials. We would move heaven and earth until we found a way to protect our children. But not with car violence.” Other prominent Democrats have made public declarations, demanding that federal background checks for motor vehicle ownership be intensified. Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) has explained, “We need commonsense measures, car control measures, that save lives. I think that it is important that we keep the vehicles out of the hands of the mentally ill and criminals and terrorists. And I also think, by strengthening our background check system and expanding mental health treatment, we can do that as well.” Some have even called for stricter limitations on vehicle types.
“Who needs an all-wheel drive vehicle to go hunting?” journalist Don Lemon said on CNN. “Who needs a sports utility vehicle to go hunting? You can’t even use the prey that you kill with an SUV if you indeed do it. We need fewer deadlier vehicles in the hands of the driving public, fewer vehicles that have the potential to become either executioners or coffins.”
Even celebrities commented on the issue. “Car control?” Chris Rock asked in an interview with Stephen Colbert. “We need tire control! I think every tire should cost 5000 dollars. Because if a tire cost 5000 dollars, we wouldn’t have any innocent bystanders.” Wal-Mart and other organizations have dealt with the increased prevalence of car violence by instructing their employees in how to handle “active driver” situations.
The National Automobile Association (NAA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for car rights, has released counterclaims indicating that criminals tend to find a way to get behind the wheel of a car and that tighter regulation is not a deterrent. Demetrius Jones, they believe, would have been in a better position to defend himself had he been in possession of a Hyundai Elantra or Kia Soul, for example. According to the NAA, cities like Chicago with the strictest car control have the highest rates of car violence.
Whatever your stance on car control, if your family owns a vehicle, they are encouraged to keep it locked up and secured, such as in a garage or car cabinet.
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