Crash Lane News
- 2015 INDIES Finalist
- Finalist, Travel (Adult Nonfiction)
Crash Lane News is an unquestionable bible for those hitting the road, a lifesaver packed in the glove box.
Right off the bat, Crash Lane News declares itself a self-help book. On today’s highways, travelers have to be aware of weather, traffic, and vehicles bigger than they are, not to mention other issues like driver fatigue and the people in the next lane texting while they drive. This book provides details on what’s making today’s roads unsafe and gives safety tips for motorists.
Crash Lane News delves into what’s causing problems for drivers. It details everything from the real necessities of inspecting and maintaining the vehicle beforehand to why there are flaws in commonly used driver resources, such as the current Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s classification of accidents into only five categories. There should be more, the book says, and also accountability by the US government to provide more accurate travel information.
The book also makes key points about how travelers in the United States do not consider weather, geography, and natural hazards (like volcanoes) when traveling, particularly on Hawaii and through the Deep South. With that in mind, the content is stacked with references to the best websites and apps. This is where Crash Lane News succeeds in helping the traveler as it promised it would in the first few pages.
The many charts and lists of data included, while looking at times like dull government documents, do actually make one pause to consider the causes of serious accidents. Top list factors that seem like common knowledge and totally preventable—like failure to obey stop lights, speeding, and reckless driving—are still big issues. Other factors further down the list, like lane restriction violation, texting while driving, and failure to stop at a railroad crossing, send the chilling message that drivers are still plagued with foolish driving habits.
While it’s information is well cited, the oversaturation of facts and figures, along with constant references to the book’s related website, does lead Crash Lane News into banal reading territory at times. More personal and/or humorous anecdotes, such as quotes from driving professionals, real life accident survivors, or auto safety inspectors, might improve a future edition. Also the latter chapter titled “Interview with the National Insurance Crime Bureau,” while interesting, does not contain any real interview quotes from those agencies’ professionals. Having those quotes would add more substance to the information presented, while adding a more human touch in lieu of all charts and graphs.
Based on how much information it packs in, Crash Lane News is an unquestionable bible for those hitting the road, and it could be a lifesaver packed in the glove box.
Reviewed by
James Burt
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
