Santa copes with new travel problems
Every year at Christmas, Santa must consider all the possible problems he might encounter on Christmas Eve, as he travels more than a million miles to deliver presents all over the world. Yes, even Santa must plan his trip well, anticipating problems that could develop along the way and how to cope with these problems.
Similarly, drivers must plan and be prepared to cope with whatever we might encounter, such as bad weather, car problems, traffic jams, etc.
Well, Santa has identified a new problem this Christmas that might hinder his travels — drones. The proliferation of drones poses a serious problem for Santa. Because he does so much traveling in the sky, he has long been aware of aircraft flights that just might conflict with his route. Now, in addition to the usual planning to avoid aircraft flights and, of course, traffic congestion when he is on the ground, Santa must consider how to avoid all of those drones.
To deal with the increased number of drones, Santa has mounted a high-tech radar unit on his sleigh. He hopes the radar will identify any drones and aircraft in his flight path, and thus avoid any chance of a collision.
Just as our newer cars come equipped with the latest technologies to avoid crashes, or at least mitigate them, Santa has new radar equipment that he hopes will make his travels safer on Christmas Eve.
Assuming his new radar will assist him while flying, Santa’s biggest remaining concern is drivers who get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol or are distracted by a multitude of possible things while driving. Luckily, because most of Santa’s travels are airborne, impaired or distracted drivers are a concern to Santa only when he is on the ground.
So, let’s all help Santa travel safely this Christmas Eve by doing our part while driving on our roads and highways. Let’s not drive after consuming alcohol or drugs, and let’s all pay full attention to our driving and not fiddle with controls, text, eat, or talk on our cell phones, even if it’s hands-free. Always paying 100 percent attention to our driving would be a huge plus, not only for Santa but for all drivers and passengers in our cars and trucks.
To everyone, from all of us on the Franklin County Traffic Safety Board, have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a safe holiday season!