Articles by Steven Gilchrist

In August, 2016, the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety issued a report regarding roadway debris in the United States.  Research from the report stated that roadway debris resulted in more than 200,000 motor vehicle accidents from 2011 - 2014.  Also during this four-year span accidents from roadway debris caused 500 deaths.  Research from the AAA Foundation also shows that roadway debris is a more significant hazard on highways than on other roadways.  About 1/3rd of the road debris crashes occurred on highways. The study also said that approximately 39,000 people were injured in motor vehicle accidents from 2011 - 2014 on roadways in the United States.  "This new report shows that road debris can be extremely dangerous but all of these crashes are preventable.  Drivers can easily save lives and prevent injuries by securing their loads and taking other simple precautions to prevent items from falling off the vehicle," say...

In 1666, the island of St. Thomas was settled by a group of Danish explorers.   Between 1672-1680, Fort Christian was built in Charlotte Amalie - the capital city of the U.S. Virgin Islands.   The fort was named after King Christian V of Denmark.   Governor Jorgen Iversen was the architect of the fort.  In 1977, the fort was designated a National Historic Landmark.   Fort Christian is the oldest structure in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Fort Christian - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas U.S.V.I.

  In 2015, the documentary The Hunting Ground was released.   The documentary focuses on how sexual assault cases are handled on various college campuses in the United States.   The Hunting Ground was written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering.   Students who have endured sexual assaults from colleges and universities including Harvard Law School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Florida State University were interviewed for the documentary.   The Hunting Ground covers topics such as Title IX legislation, institutional cover-ups, and retaliation that victims face for coming forward with sexual assault charges. Additional information from The Hunting Ground includes: * More than 16% of female college students become the victims of sexual assault. * 88% of women who are sexually assaulted on college campuses do not report that they have been assaulted. * In 2012, 45% of colleges/universities reported no i...

On June 9, 1998, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21 st Century (TEA-21) was enacted by the federal government as Public Law 105-178.   This Act was authorized by the federal government to create various transportation projects from 1998-2003.   TEA-21 was allowed to lapse since Congress could not agree on funding levels for the bill.   TEA-21 mandated that seven planning directives should be included in regional transportation plans.   The planning directives included: 1. Support the economic vitality of metropolitan area transportation needs. 2. Increase the safety and security of transportation systems for motorized & non-motorized users. 3. Increase accessibility options for individual users and freight transportation. 4. Protect the environment by promoting energy conservation. 5. Improve the connectivity of transportation systems. 6. Promote efficient transportation system management. 7. Emphasize efficient preservation of existin...