Punishment: You Can Break The Law, But Not TOO Much

Now I had mentioned just a little while ago the idea that governments are putting up the facade that they are diligently enforcing the laws to protect the American people from drivers and companies that are breaking these laws...especially those laws that pertain to the number of hours a driver can legally drive in any given period of time.

This enforcement is like walking a tight rope because if the news begins reporting that a growing number of drivers are falling asleep at the wheel it will begin to cause public outrage. The people will turn to their elected officials and ask, “Why aren't you protecting us? Isn't that why we elected you? What is being done about this?”

Yet if the government clamps down too tightly on the industry then they will begin to choke off the nation's economy and create even more congestion on the roadways which will cause even greater outrage amongst the voting citizens. So how does the government achieve this tricky balance? It's a combination of quelling the public outrage and keeping the law-breaking below an acceptable level.

Lets say that there is a major accident involving a tractor trailer. Any experienced driver will tell you that often times after such an accident occurs, especially if it is deemed the be the fault of the truck driver and the news reporters are covering the accident extensively, the state in which the accident occurred will have a BOAT LOAD of police agencies and DOT enforcement out on the prowl for the next few days or a week where they are clearly in the public eye. This let's people know that something is being done about it.

It's a simple matter of quelling the public outrage.

The general public has a rather short memory when it comes to such things though. The news will cover the story for a day, maybe even two or three days, and then it will slide into the background behind the latest incredible news events and quickly be forgotten.

However, every time the public becomes outraged with the elected officials it puts another chink in their armor and over time can build up to tarnish their reputations as the “protectors of the people” and hurt their chances at re-election. So they would rather not be spending their time and goodwill trying to quell public outrage, they would rather prevent it altogether.