OT: Shawn Bradley left paralyzed after bicycle accident

[Francis Xavier]

don't get me wrong, either..distracted driving is as large of an issue. We really miss the mark collectively as a species on this one. Not sure what the solution is..Maybe some type of geo-fencing technology that mandates phone usage be limited to voice controlled commands while driving? I am sure the tech is there but nobody seems to want to solve it.

 

[Francis Xavier]

I remember when I was a senior in high school, one of our classmates put together a presentation of extremely violent and graphic campaigns that showed how harmful distracted driving actually is...they were commercials filmed that had severely realistic accident portrayals. They were axed because they were too graphic but to this day they are burned into my head..not sure if they would have made a difference but we need people to realize how gory/graphic/tragic accidents actually are..

 

[Wexahu]

https://toddminerlaw.com/blog/2019/...ding-is-leading-cause-of-fatal-car-accidents/

Let me know if you want me to cite more because there are at least 10-20 more on pages 1 and 2 of Google.

If I'm driving 40 mph in a 30 mph speed limit area (which I do quite often if I'm honest, and I'm not really a "fast" driver) and I hit someone while I'm talking on the phone does that go down as speeding was the cause of death? Let's say it does. 22% of deaths were cited because of speeding. That's about 8,400 deaths per year in a country of 330,000,000. Roughly one out of every 40,000 people are dying due to speeding cars per year. So you're solution to that is to lower speed limits and make cars go slower? I'll ask again, what do think the maximum speed of a car should be?

You're talking making a HUGE change to address 22% of the problem, and no matter what you do you're not going to reduce the number to anywhere close to zero when you have as many cars on the road as we do, no matter how slow you try and make cars go.

 

[tcudoc]

https://toddminerlaw.com/blog/2019/...ding-is-leading-cause-of-fatal-car-accidents/

Let me know if you want me to cite more because there are at least 10-20 more on pages 1 and 2 of Google.

Can you cite more please? Thank you.

 

[Francis Xavier]

Can you cite more please? Thank you.

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/speedmg... - The Relation Between Speed and Crashes.pdf

bit of a long read. I will add some more. This is a good one.

 

[Horny4TCU]

Reading @Francis Xavier posts gives me little hope for the future... No offense.

Your heart is in the right place, but why are you so willing to give up your own liberties for Darwin award winners?

Your logic: "Reduce speeds for everyone, because a bunch of people don't follow the law. If they won't follow the law, reduce the speed of cars for everyone."

We have speed limits, people don't follow them. We have rules and laws for driving a car, people don't follow them. What makes you think more laws (less liberty and freedom for everyone) would make a difference?

Do you really want to make a difference about vehicle deaths? Stop driving. And get other people to stop driving as much. Change peoples' habits with a tax rebate, if they drive under 100 miles a week they get money. Less people on the road and an incentive/choice to follow something you don't have to, but to benefit you do.

Or lower EPA standards... why pray tell? The way auto manufactures have been able to meet EPA standard is by lowering the weight of cars. Plastics and composite parts have replaced many components. Steel frames, have been replaced by aluminum. Frankly, give me air bags and seat belts in an old steel car, then let me get into an accident with a current model car. I'll take my chances in the improved safety and steel.

 

[TopFrog]

I really mean what I am about to say: im under 30. Whether or not anyone has mixed feelings on Covid and the worlds response, when you look at how many people die in and around automobiles, it is a damn travesty we have not done more to stop this. I love cars, love driving, etc. but at this point, the fact that we dont have reduced speed limits, and the fact that we havent limited speeds at which cars can be made to travel is mind boggling. Nevermind the texting thing.

I believe the technologies and development and move toward driverless smart vehicles are going to go a log way to reducing deaths and wrecks. I hope.

 

[Eight]

As a society, all we heard all year was "The economy is not worth deaths." using that same logic, cars shouldn't be allowed on the road. My gripe with the whole thing is that the entire transportation industry can be fixed with a few solutions. Yea, lots of car companies would be pissed, but you can't shut down the country over a virus , using the above excuse, and not apply it to the other singular thing that takes more deaths in a tragic way than just about anything else. Teens, prom couples, old, young, etc.

seriously?

the answer is more governmental regulation and intervention?

 

[Eight]

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/speedmgt/ref_mats/fhwasa1304/Resources3/08 - The Relation Between Speed and Crashes.pdf

bit of a long read. I will add some more. This is a good one.

bascially, a high school physics student could have written that paper because there is nothing new or profound in it. if we increase speed and mass it increase the kinetic energy and that has consequences in a collision. the faster an object is moving the lesser the reaction time which gets compounded if we introduce things such as conversation, listening to the radio, phone etc.....

applying your logic to the causes of death in america the leading cause of death in america is heart disease and diet has a direct correlation to heart disease so the government needs to step in and only allow the sale of heart healthy foods, appropriate portions, all tobacco uses should be illegal, and exercise should be mandatory

 

[LSU Game Attendee]

There is a certain irony to the fact that , instead of sitting visibly out in the open, cops try and trap people speeding. Forget the money. Fundamentally, if the gov gave a crap about automobile issues, the solution would be to put police every few miles visibly out in the open. Make a PSA about it.

I think a more effective approach toward driving would be like Germany's:
1) The process to get a license is more rigorous, and driving is taken more seriously
2) While there are speed limits on most roads, police tend to issue tickets for tailgating, not for speeding (though there are mobile "blitz" enforcement cameras)

 

[Eight]

I think a more effective approach toward driving would be like Germany's:
1) The process to get a license is more rigorous, and driving is taken more seriously
2) While there are speed limits on most roads, police tend to issue tickets for tailgating, not for speeding (though there are mobile "blitz" enforcement cameras)

the first one is point on, way, way too many drivers who not only are technically bad drivers, but are driving vehicles too large and too powerful for them.

 

[Horny4TCU]

I think a more effective approach toward driving would be like Germany's:
1) The process to get a license is more rigorous, and driving is taken more seriously
2) While there are speed limits on most roads, police tend to issue tickets for tailgating, not for speeding (though there are mobile "blitz" enforcement cameras)

the first one is point on, way, way too many drivers who not only are technically bad drivers, but are driving vehicles too large and too powerful for them.

Law of unintended consequences... What happens with a rigorous testing and licensing process?
1. People stop driving, because they can't pass.
2. People stop buying cars, because they can't drive.
3. People move closer to work. They can no longer live far away from work, because they can't drive.
4. Auto manufacturing workers get laid off, because they aren't making as many cars.
5. Realestate in cities increases in value, because everyone is moving closer to work.
6. Suburbs start decreasing in value and start to decay as people move out.
7. Car insurance companies start laying off workers as people stop needing it, because they aren't driving.
8. Auto body shops, car dealerships, and car washes all stop hiring and laying off workers or closing out right, as no one needs them.
9. Road workers are let go, because with less traffic, fewer roads are in need of repair and new ones aren't needed.
10. Businesses and shops move closer to the population centers.
11. Oil companies reduce production and lay off workers as demand for fossil fuels decreases.

It sounds a lot like Europe... the only difference is they made these changes over decades... not over night. If we tried to implement this too many people would be laid off. The industries and markets would not rebound fast enough to create new jobs and we would have a huge spike in unemployment that might last for a very long time. Our middle class, would quickly become lower middle class, or even lower class because so many industries rely on one another. If we lose auto manufacturing, we lose steel workers, we lose fabricators, we lose composite molders, so on and so forth... What industries could take it's place? Without a seriously vetted out plan to replace our reliance on cars, we are stuck with this system.

Instead, why not put a premium on not driving with a phone. Make a signal jammer that when a car is turned on cell service is lost. Don't make it mandatory, but let insurance give you a rebate if you install it. Soon enough people will have them, and other people will get them as their signal gets disrupted when someone else has one near by... Why not get the rebate too. Wait, what about GPS and music applications from phones... Well instead of a jammer, why not integrate technology that turns off cell phone calling and texting ability when the GPS is traveling greater than 15mph?

 

[Frognosticator]

It’s well known that it’s the slow drivers on the road who cause accidents because they continually cause the drivers around them to make adjustments or change lanes. Jackasses who camp out in the left lane going 55.

What we really need is a minimum speed limit on all roads, and ticket the slow pokes.

 

[Eight]

Law of unintended consequences... What happens with a rigorous testing and licensing process?
1. People stop driving, because they can't pass.
2. People stop buying cars, because they can't drive.
3. People move closer to work. They can no longer live far away from work, because they can't drive.
4. Auto manufacturing workers get laid off, because they aren't making as many cars.
5. Realestate in cities increases in value, because everyone is moving closer to work.
6. Suburbs start decreasing in value and start to decay as people move out.
7. Car insurance companies start laying off workers as people stop needing it, because they aren't driving.
8. Auto body shops, car dealerships, and car washes all stop hiring and laying off workers or closing out right, as no one needs them.
9. Road workers are let go, because with less traffic, fewer roads are in need of repair and new ones aren't needed.
10. Businesses and shops move closer to the population centers.
11. Oil companies reduce production and lay off workers as demand for fossil fuels decreases.

It sounds a lot like Europe... the only difference is they made these changes over decades... not over night. If we tried to implement this too many people would be laid off. The industries and markets would not rebound fast enough to create new jobs and we would have a huge spike in unemployment that might last for a very long time. Our middle class, would quickly become lower middle class, or even lower class because so many industries rely on one another. If we lose auto manufacturing, we lose steel workers, we lose fabricators, we lose composite molders, so on and so forth... What industries could take it's place? Without a seriously vetted out plan to replace our reliance on cars, we are stuck with this system.

Instead, why not put a premium on not driving with a phone. Make a signal jammer that when a car is turned on cell service is lost. Don't make it mandatory, but let insurance give you a rebate if you install it. Soon enough people will have them, and other people will get them as their signal gets disrupted when someone else has one near by... Why not get the rebate too. Wait, what about GPS and music applications from phones... Well instead of a jammer, why not integrate technology that turns off cell phone calling and texting ability when the GPS is traveling greater than 15mph?

that is quite a string of presumptions and speculation as you make some huge leaps in your economic dominos falling because we would required individuals to be able to effectively drive something that in the hands of an incompetent driver can be a lethal weapon

people have become [ Finebaum ]ty drivers for a number of reasons be it poorly taught, no common sense, phones in the car, gps which i truly believe make people dumber, badly built cars, vehicles way too big for some drivers, etc.....

 

[Francis Xavier]

Reading @Francis Xavier posts gives me little hope for the future... No offense.

Your heart is in the right place, but why are you so willing to give up your own liberties for Darwin award winners?

Your logic: "Reduce speeds for everyone, because a bunch of people don't follow the law. If they won't follow the law, reduce the speed of cars for everyone."

We have speed limits, people don't follow them. We have rules and laws for driving a car, people don't follow them. What makes you think more laws (less liberty and freedom for everyone) would make a difference?

Do you really want to make a difference about vehicle deaths? Stop driving. And get other people to stop driving as much. Change peoples' habits with a tax rebate, if they drive under 100 miles a week they get money. Less people on the road and an incentive/choice to follow something you don't have to, but to benefit you do.

Or lower EPA standards... why pray tell? The way auto manufactures have been able to meet EPA standard is by lowering the weight of cars. Plastics and composite parts have replaced many components. Steel frames, have been replaced by aluminum. Frankly, give me air bags and seat belts in an old steel car, then let me get into an accident with a current model car. I'll take my chances in the improved safety and steel.

I think you missed the entire first part of my post. Find it quite odd that we shut a country down over a virus because of death, yet havent figured out an ongoing problem.

 

[Eight]

I think you missed the entire first part of my post. Find it quite odd that we shut a country down over a virus because of death, yet havent figured out an ongoing problem.

the usage of speed cameras hasn't stood up in court and people prefer their law enforcement to deal with bigger issues over giving out speeding tickets

you could hire more officers, but who is going to pay for them?

 

[tcudoc]

Reading @Francis Xavier posts gives me little hope for the future... No offense.

Your heart is in the right place, but why are you so willing to give up your own liberties for Darwin award winners?

Your logic: "Reduce speeds for everyone, because a bunch of people don't follow the law. If they won't follow the law, reduce the speed of cars for everyone."

We have speed limits, people don't follow them. We have rules and laws for driving a car, people don't follow them. What makes you think more laws (less liberty and freedom for everyone) would make a difference?

Do you really want to make a difference about vehicle deaths? Stop driving. And get other people to stop driving as much. Change peoples' habits with a tax rebate, if they drive under 100 miles a week they get money. Less people on the road and an incentive/choice to follow something you don't have to, but to benefit you do.

Or lower EPA standards... why pray tell? The way auto manufactures have been able to meet EPA standard is by lowering the weight of cars. Plastics and composite parts have replaced many components. Steel frames, have been replaced by aluminum. Frankly, give me air bags and seat belts in an old steel car, then let me get into an accident with a current model car. I'll take my chances in the improved safety and steel.

If this were to come to pass. I have a good plan in place. My uncle has a place out in the country about 50 miles from where I am. He told me it used to be a farm, before they became so strict with the laws about what different equipment was allowed. It became untenable to keep the place functioning in the black. On Sundays, when I can get away, I venture out of the city and actually hop on a train that leads out to the old farm where my prematurely gray haired uncle lives. He is always waiting there for me and I hop off the train to join him. Then we will run as fast as we can down to the old barn. I am always super excited to get there. He has this 50 some odd year old car for me that he has kept wrapped and hidden, well preserved. It is like brand new. Like a dream car. So, I begin to strip away the old debris that hides the shining car. It is brilliant and from a much better time; a time that seems to have vanished. I fire up the willing engine and it responds with a roar. As I pull it out onto the gravel driveway, the tires seem to spit gravel as I venture out onto the road. It is a convertible, so I can fell the wind in my hair. It is a stick shift too. As I shift, the tail end sways back and forth; shifting and drifting. I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. The mixture of scents of the well weathered leather, the hot metal and oil combined with the scented country air is tremendous. The sunlight hitting the chrome combined with the blur of the passing landscape makes every nerve aware of my surroundings. Then I would stop at a local playground to play some pickup basketball. There were always these trouble makers there that would pick on me. Well they were causing a lot of trouble in my neighborhood. So, one day, I had enough enough and got into a fight with them. My mom finally got scared and told me I needed to go stay with my other Uncle and Aunt. They live in Bel-Air California. I think you know the rest.

 

[Francis Xavier]

the usage of speed cameras hasn't stood up in court and people prefer their law enforcement to deal with bigger issues over giving out speeding tickets

you could hire more officers, but who is going to pay for them?

I know. Difficult problem to solve. But I remember people saying” the economy isnt worth deaths.” Uhhh

 

[Frognosticator]

If this were to come to pass. I have a good plan in place. My uncle has a place out in the country about 50 miles from where I am. He told me it used to be a farm, before they became so strict with the laws about what different equipment was allowed. It became untenable to keep the place functioning in the black. On Sundays, when I can get away, I venture out of the city and actually hop on a train that leads out to the old farm where my prematurely gray haired uncle lives. He is always waiting there for me and I hop off the train to join him. Then we will run as fast as we can down to the old barn. I am always super excited to get there. He has this 50 some odd year old car for me that he has kept wrapped and hidden, well preserved. It is like brand new. Like a dream car. So, I begin to strip away the old debris that hides the shining car. It is brilliant and from a much better time; a time that seems to have vanished. I fire up the willing engine and it responds with a roar. As I pull it out onto the gravel driveway, the tires seem to spit gravel as I venture out onto the road. It is a convertible, so I can fell the wind in my hair. It is a stick shift too. As I shift, the tail end sways back and forth; shifting and drifting. I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. The mixture of scents of the well weathered leather, the hot metal and oil combined with the scented country air is tremendous. The sunlight hitting the chrome combined with the blur of the passing landscape makes every nerve aware of my surroundings. Then I would stop at a local playground to play some pickup basketball. There were always these trouble makers there that would pick on me. Well they were causing a lot of trouble in my neighborhood. So, one day, I had enough enough and got into a fight with them. My mom finally got scared and told me I needed to go stay with my other Uncle and Aunt. They live in Bel-Air California. I think you know the rest.

Was that car red?

 

[Endless Purple]

I think a more effective approach toward driving would be like Germany's:
1) The process to get a license is more rigorous, and driving is taken more seriously
2) While there are speed limits on most roads, police tend to issue tickets for tailgating, not for speeding (though there are mobile "blitz" enforcement cameras)

This, but with some additions. A much improved public transit system for those that cannot pass a more rigorous driving test would be needed. Plus I support more safe bike trails and lanes (and better training for the bicycle riders as well).