Do you make the roads safe?

[Jersey Tom]

Street racing is not the issue. Roads are not the issue. Day to day stupidity most certainly is.

Every damn day, I see people...

• ...driving with their lights off, in the rain, and even at NIGHT. (no joke!)
• ...not using their blinkers.
• ...doing stuff like putting a right blinker on, and turning LEFT.
• ...driving with 100% bald tires, in the rain.
• ...tailgating.
• ...diving between lanes without checking blind spots.
• ...even abandoning a vehicle, without hazard lights on, in the CENTER lane of a 3 lane interstate.

Seems to be particularly bad here in Ohio. What a joke.

Speed doesn't kill. Stupid does.

[Belatti]

Street racing is not the issue. Roads are not the issue. Day to day stupidity most certainly is.

Every damn day, I see people...

• ...driving with their lights off, in the rain, and even at NIGHT. (no joke!)
• ...not using their blinkers.
• ...doing stuff like putting a right blinker on, and turning LEFT.
• ...driving with 100% bald tires, in the rain.
• ...tailgating.
• ...diving between lanes without checking blind spots.
• ...even abandoning a vehicle, without hazard lights on, in the CENTER lane of a 3 lane interstate.

Seems to be particularly bad here in Ohio. What a joke.

Speed doesn't kill. Stupid does.

=D> =D> =D>

100% TRUE!

I see the same every day here!

[Shrek]

by the way why do we need lights on in the rain exactly i can see fine and there's going to be some person the blinds me for a second or 2

[roost89]

by the way why do we need lights on in the rain exactly i can see fine and there's going to be some person the blinds me for a second or 2

Because the rain reduces visibility, as will the clouds blocking out the light. You should, I was taught, at least run with the side-lights on. The on-coming drivers may not be able to see you.
All Volvo's run with this permanently. I'm not not talking half-beam or full-beam (I have seen cars in daylight using full-beam) but just lit a wee bit. At least then the on-coming driver can see you more easily.

I run with side-lights on most of the time. It doesn't blind on-coming drivers, they can see me more easily so it's a bonus.

[TheMinister]

Speed doesn't kill. Stupid does.

I think it's more that one of speed and stupid is fine, it's the combination that kills. A lot of crashes are due to drivers going fast when they shouldn't, thus reducing their margins for error, and reducing the time they and other drivers have to respond to unexpected situations.

I think having some knowledge of racing and extreme car performance is helpful; when it was snowy here in the UK, I could feel quite accurately when the grip was going and so was able to be safer on the ice. Saw a few people get it wrong and skid majorly- braking was particularly bad, those ABS brakes really unsettle the car when they come on, and some people don't know at all what to do when skidding while braking.

That said, I think that racing often has a harmful effect in young guns deciding they are the next Hamilton and simply driving too fast when it's not safe.

I hate to come out being so opposed to the thing we all love, but I just don't think people are generally intelligent enough to be trusted to drive fast. I think the limits in the UK (70mph motorways + dual, 60mph normal, 30mph in urban) are perfectly fast enough. Lethal crashes still happen, but I'm sure these limits save a huge number of lives.

TBH I think the main thing we could do to reduce road crashes would be to raise the driving age, maybe to 21. Most bad crashes are at least partly down to driver 'attitude' and people tend to be more mature at 21 than 17.

You'll probably be surprised when I say I'm only 18; I tend to go much more safely than other people of the same age, and even I scare myself sometimes. But the majority of people I know my age I quite honestly think aren't mature enough to drive.

But short of a maturity test, what can we do about that.... It's a tough question. I really don't know which way I'd vote if it were put to a referendum.


(Once again, TheMinister sails straight past the actual engineering question being asked....)

[roost89]

What are your opinions of teaching people to drive at a younger age?

I know SEAT are doing (read sponsoring and using for marketing) a course for young people between 11 and 16. The only other restriction is they have to be above a certain height (to see out fo the car and reach the pedals ). They drive the car in a car-park type area, in a car with dual-controls.

I'm in favour of this. Reasons are that I think the more you know about a car before you hit the road the more you can focus on being amongst the other drivers, instead of worrying if you're in control of the car.

Also it may get the boy-racer thing out of their system, or it might do the opposite. More knowledge may give them more confidence, leading to over-confidence.

Link to young driver program

[manchild]

It's not for me, I'm an old fart. Just inquiring if someone knows of such DVD with tips for safer driving, techniques etc.? Stuff they don't teach in driving schools...

Thanks in advance!

[mep]

Do I make roads safe?

Hm don't know for sure I guess it would be better when I am not on the streets.

Every damn day, I see people...

...driving with their lights off, in the rain, and even at NIGHT. (no joke!)
...not using their blinkers.
...doing stuff like putting a right blinker on, and turning LEFT.
...driving with 100% bald tires, in the rain.
...tailgating.
...diving between lanes without checking blind spots.
...even abandoning a vehicle, without hazard lights on, in the CENTER lane of a 3 lane interstate.

--- hell I do none of these things.
Really stupid things none of them sound to be fun.

What I do is:

1) I love F1
2) possible even worse: I like Rally
3) after work I like to drive around just for fun
4) I love to rush over tiny country roads
5) I prefer mountain roads with lots of hairpins
6) while doing so I cut corners
7) when I am lonely on the Autobahn I try to reach top speed of the car
8.) while doing so I sometimes drive over both lanes or just drive on the dividing markings of the two lanes (so I have more space to both sides)
9.) I like driving on snowy roads, especially doing power slides and donuts
10) I am pissed when somebody is behind me, I prefer to have streets for myself
11) I am sometimes a bit affright when there are other cars (idiots) around so I try to stick to the rules best as I can.
Of course I do all this thinks only when I know that I am totally lonely on the streets

[mx_tifoso]

What I do is:

1) I love F1
2) NA
3) after work I like to drive around just for fun
4) I love to rush over tiny country roads
5) I prefer mountain roads....
6) while doing so I cut corners
7) NA
8.) while doing so I somethimes drive over both lanes or just drive on the divinding markings of the two lanes (so I have more space to both sides)
9.) NA
10) I am pissed when somebody is behind me, I prefer to have streets for myself
11) I am somethimes a bit afraight when there are other cars (idiots) around so I try to stick to the rules best as I can.

We have a lot in common Mep! Although I cut what isn't applicable to me or I don't agree with.

About #10; I'd rather have cars behind me than in front of me actually. Because their speed or behavior mainly affects me if I'm behind them.

Personally I try to drive responsibly all the time. My speed is usually 5-10 mph higher than the limit though, but I have to say that I feel so much better about myself when I do follow the speed limit. My main problem (?) is that I accelerate quite hard at stop lights very often; it feels so good to have a torquey V8!!

But I'm not the type that is swerving in and out of lanes to get by traffic, I don't want to be "that guy".

Overall I would consider myself a good and responsible driver. I check blind spots, properly use turn signal, don't tailgate, etc.

Oh yeah, I get distracted easily... . So I'm constantly reading signs and looking at other cars, especially their tires at stop lights .

[autogyro]

Road safety?
I would start with education. Encourage as many young people as possible to get involved with motor sport from karting up.
Unlike 'grollyball' practicaly everyone ends up driving out of necesity, so encourage motor sports instead of 'grollyball', it is far more relevent to the future of every young person everywhere. There should be classes on the technology at school as well.
Young people, particularily young boys would soon learn that there is absolutely nothing to prove driving fast on the public highway. One race day at a local circuit would teach them just how slow they actualy are compared to proper race drivers and riders. I have proved this point many times.
Make speed limits logical. There is no purpose in having a 20mph limit outside a school at 2 o clock in the Morning and few people will accept it at that time anyway. In anycase close to a school the 'actual' safe speed may well be 5mph with kids about. Put up 'variable' limit signs that then make sense and people will observe the speeds.

[Giblet]

In Ontario, if you take Young Drivers of Canada's defensive driving course, and follow all the rules, you will never get in accident, barring an act of god.

Rules like an escape route planned at all times, not getting boxed in, left center right (RCL for UK) scans at every intersection, minimum eye lead time, minimum following distance, walk around check before each drive, regular maintenance, etc.

If you get 70% on your test, you save 40% on your first year of insurance.

I took the course, occasionally drive like a fool, not rampant speeding, but there are some corners I push on like a track, and have never been in a car accident when I was driving. I certainly never endangered others on purpose.

I have broken the windshield of a Plymouth Horizon with my face before. That's not fun.

[mep]

Hm I wonder whether my last post was a good idea?
Maybe I should apologise for abusing this treat with posting my bad habits.
I can already hear Ciro screaming that I should not do that because this threat is about safety and I support people here with bad ideas.
So sorry for that.
Anyway I have to add something I noticed driving on highways.

When there is much traffic or bad weather conditions most people seem to prefer driving on left lane even when they are not driving fast. (Notice otherwise than in GB we usually have to drive on the right one) By this the left lane gets overcrowded and traffic is slowing down even more. On the same time overtaking on right lane or forcing others to go to the right one is prohibited. I think that’s a pretty bad habit most people have and I even understand them a bit because they probably want to avoid lorry’s and incoming vehicles on the right lane.


By this some more things you probably should not do while driving on a highway come to my mind:

1) overtaking on right lane
2) pushing others to go to the right by headlight flasher, blinker or short distances
3) reacting on those pushing guys by “brake testing” or by slightly applying the brakes (to get brake lights on) while accelerating