Are we really driving well??

[CourierDriver]

Originally Posted By: Doog
I would estimate that you could reduce traffic accident fatalities in the United States by 50% if you change just ONE thing in all vehicles: Ban all automatic transmissions except for handicapped people.

You would then have two things happen immediately:

1. No cell phone usage
2. Drivers would have a higher skill level and attention level when behind the wheel.
Good Idea,imho

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: whip
and yet very little is done to prevent accidents.


What!? You mean giving out speeding tickets doesn't improve highway safety?

(Major sarcasm there)

 

[CourierDriver]

Tex ting and driving is now killing more of us then drinking and driving.

 

[slowdime]

Also the gizmos and junk that's being put into cars can't possibly help either. I mean, back up cameras, bluetooth everything, screens up front, talk abkut distractions. I was pricing new trucks and couldn't find one that didn't come with some sort of camera or blind spot warning of some sort, not even bare bones models.
If you can't change lanes safely without having a warning chime tell you you're about to hit someone maybe you shouldn't be driving.
The thing about driving is everyone thinks they're the greatest driver in the world until they cause a wreck, even the it wasn't their fault because 'that guy came out of nowhere!'

 

[Merkava_4]

All this will change when cars become all electric and self driving. Google and Apple want to get into the car business. All the cars will be going the exact same speed because they will all be talking to each other in their own car language. The media says that young people are losing interest in driving. They don't want to drive cars anymore because it takes time away from their devices. A hundred years from now, only the real old people will know how to drive cars. Manual driving cars might not even be legal. Are you allowed to drive your horse and buggy on today's roads? See what I mean?

 

[slowdime]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
All this will change when cars become all electric and self driving. Google and Apple want to get into the car business. All the cars will be going the exact same speed because they will all be talking to each other in their own car language. The media says that young people are losing interest in driving. They don't want to drive cars anymore because it takes time away from their devices. A hundred years from now, only the real old people will know how to drive a car. Manual driving cars might not even be legal. Are you allowed to drive your horse and buggy on today's roads? See what I mean?


Young folks today... at 26 I'm one of them but I find it baffling when I see my peers with their noses buried in whatever device they have with them. In a waiting room everyone under 30 has their eyes glued to a screen; when I'm sitting in the classroom waiting for the professor to begin lecture, everyone's phones are out and they're typing away.
When I ride as a passenger I'm usually pretty on edge about what the driver is doing, usually they're distracted with singing along to whatever is on the radio or playing with their phone.
Driving is no longer something that's enjoyed by folks my age and consequently not much thought or effort is put towards driving in a safe and sane manner. Not to mention so many cars today are about as interesting as a refrigerator and are treated like disposable appliances.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
All this will change when cars become all electric and self driving. Google and Apple want to get into the car business. All the cars will be going the exact same speed because they will all be talking to each other in their own car language. The media says that young people are losing interest in driving. They don't want to drive cars anymore because it takes time away from their devices. A hundred years from now, only the real old people will know how to drive cars. Manual driving cars might not even be legal. Are you allowed to drive your horse and buggy on today's roads? See what I mean?


Actually, you are allowed to drive your horse and buggy on today's roads.
We have areas of this state where there are Amish populations and they operate their horse and buggy rigs on the same rural two-lanes that everyone else uses.

 

[joaks]

Drivers in the US are better than a lot of other counties. My step mother in law came to visit from China and watched in amazement people taking turns at a 4-way stop.

I will disagree on navigation being an issue. When I used to need a map I would need to occasionally look down to check the map and had to focus more on street signs when I did not know how soon my turn would come up. With GPS I can focus on driving and just follow the instructions.

 

[OneEyeJack]

All these safety regs and air bags are just in time to help us survive the stoners with smart phones driving down the highway.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: whip
The vast majority of people are bad drivers. Deaths are going down because the cars are safer. It has nothing to do with the drivers.

You're 3 times more likely to die in an auto accident than you are by a gun, and yet very little is done to prevent accidents.


Exactly right. Many roads are safer too. Here in Florida, we now paint the lines 6 inches wide instead of 4, AND every line is reflective. Something that was not common as recently as the 1980's.

We also have significantly widened the shoulders on many highways, installed guardrails/jersey barriers between opposing lanes and so on.

We also raised the speed limits from 55 to 70, which resulted in an instant decrease in accidents.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
I wonder if cell phone usage plays a huge role in this?

Cell phone ban anyone? Yeah its illegal to text and drive here, but people still do it!

As said several times before, cars kill more than guns.
In Illinois, it's illegal for the driver to use a cell phone unless it's done hands-free. And every time I'm in the car I will see at least one person driving holding their phone up to their ear (and it's not me

).

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Lot of "Island" people up here with no driving skills. Then the idiots playing on their smart phones ... I saw woman proceeding through a busy intersection looking down at her device. I beeped and hollered at her.