Carnage on America's Highways?

[MOBIUS]

Just noticed this posted by Sloww in another thread...

U.S. Traffic Deaths on Rise

By Ken Thomas
August 24, 2006

Traffic deaths in the United States reached their highest levels since 1990, the government reported this week. The spike in fatalities was attributed to an increase in motorcycle and pedestrian fatalities.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 43,443 people were killed on the highways last year, up 1.4 percent from 42,836 in 2004. It was the highest number of fatalities in a single year since 1990, when 44,599 people were killed.


http://www.insurancejournal.com/new...08/24/71690.htm

I know from personal experience that Americans are **** drivers, having clocked up a few thousand miles across a bunch of states - but those figures indicate carnage on America's freeways!!!

Discuss.

[Dauphin]

The rise is in pedestrian fatalities. Therefore I submit that pedestrians should require a licence to be on the roads and pavements sidewalks.

[MOBIUS]

I thought they had a law to prevent that called 'Jaywalking'...?

[Dauphin]

If anything the law is against 'walking'.

[MOBIUS]

So it is OK to run across a street in the US then.

Makes total sense I suppose...

[axi]

The increase in pedestrian and motorcycle fatalities, with simultaneous decrease in automobile fatalities is a worldwide phenomenon, it's not confined to the USA. In some countries this makes the overall rate to decline, in others to rise.

The reason is that the technological measures aimed at increasing road safety are all geared towards autos, both for technological and economical reasons. So passenger safety has increased (due to to better safety belts and seats, airbags, ABS, traction control, anti-spin, chassis crashworthiness, rollover protection, better child protection, safer road furniture). OTOH, the relatively unprotected pedestrian and motorcyclist have fallen victim to the increase in traffic density and speed and, in recent years, of the mass and height of automobiles (SUVs are more safe for their passengers but more dangerous to smaller users of the roads). IMO, also, being relatively protected from their own bad driving, the auto drivers have become more careless with respect to the other people on the road (swerving, overtaking and braking distances come to mind).

The auto and insurance industry has started to become more sensitive to this trend. So efforts are being made to design the exterior of cars to be more pedestrian friendly. If you're familiar with the 5star safety rating system, there are plans to incorporate a 6th star to the system, one which will only be awarded to those vehicles that fulfill some requirements of pedestrian safety upon impact. Measures are being taken also to improve the safety of road furniture with respect to the special needs of motorcyclists (In general, barriers and signposts are designed to dissipate the kinetic energy of large vehicles and to keep them in the road, but they are to hard and stiff for impact by an unprotected human.)

[Arrian]

The increase in pedestrian and motorcycle fatalities, with simultaneous decrease in automobile fatalities is a worldwide phenomenon, it's not confined to the USA.

Shush, don't burst MOBIUS' bubble.

People are **** drivers the world over. I saw plenty of it in New Zealand, Italy, the UK... and of course here. Massh*les are the worst, of course Not really. I saw some **** in North Carolina that would've been really funny if I hadn't been fearin' fo my life.

-Arrian

[Wezil]

Good post Axi.

"road furniture" - I've never heard that term before.

[Cort Haus]

Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding
Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind.

[DanS]

Re: Carnage on America's Highways?

Originally posted by MOBIUS
I know from personal experience that Americans are **** drivers, having clocked up a few thousand miles across a bunch of states - but those figures indicate carnage on America's freeways!!!

Discuss.

Not only the fatalities, but there are 2 million+ injuries per annum in the US due to auto accidents.

It is time to remove human beings from the equation and move quickly toward cars that drive themselves.

[Arrian]

As much as that would suck, you're probably right. Sigh.

I *like* driving. At least during non-rush hour situations.

But the statistics are hard to ignore.

-Arrian

[dannubis]

Re: Re: Carnage on America's Highways?

Originally posted by DanS


Not only the fatalities, but there are 2 million+ injuries per annum in the US due to auto accidents.

It is time to remove human beings from the equation and move quickly toward cars that drive themselves.

Windows joke comes here...

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by Arrian
Shush, don't burst MOBIUS' bubble.

People are **** drivers the world over. I saw plenty of it in New Zealand, Italy, the UK... and of course here. Massh*les are the worst, of course Not really. I saw some **** in North Carolina that would've been really funny if I hadn't been fearin' fo my life.-Arrian

All I'm saying is that for a country with almost exactly one fifth the pop of the US, we only had 3,201 deaths in 2005 - compared to your whopping 43,443 deaths!!!

That either makes us far better drivers than the US - or our pedestrians are far smarter!

And FWIW, of all the countries I've ever driven in: The British are the best drivers so far, and the Americans rank among the most appalling - like being surrounded by braindead zombies...

[dannubis]

maybe you should start driving on the right side of the road mob...

[DanS]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
That either makes us far better drivers than the US - or our pedestrians are far smarter!

You're forgetting a couple of possible causes, such as the fact that Americans drive far more than others.