If a good safety record on a road attracted customers, it would be in the interest of owners to provide it. Owners of airlines know the importance of safety and regular maintenance of their aircraft, for they face the consequences when safety fails. If the cause is believed to be the airline's, customers choose another carrier. As a result, air transportation is extremely safe. But today's highway monopoly means that there is no monetary incentive for government to improve its safety record.
People have to drive regardless of the safety of the road.
Another major concern about the public highway system is the massive congestion in and around many of the urban areas during rush -hour periods. This not only leads to aggravation and waste of gas while idling in traffic but also constitutes an immense loss of time and productivity. Multiplying this by all U.S. drivers gives some rough indicator of the cost to society. The government has come up with ways to address the traffic problem, but none has worked. For example, the federal government has called for employers to stagger work hours for their employees so that the traffic coming into urban areas would be spread out more.