In summary his point is about accident avoidance and I've always thought my years of riding motorcycles on the street when I was about 20-30 or so has greatly contributed to my safe driving today. My 10 year old daughter says I drive slower than her Grandmother and at times I probably do. I've found that I really don't need to get there(anywhere) THAT fast on the street. And I told her this morning as she urged me to pass a classmate on the way to school because "grandma would" to tell Grandma to "bring it to the track!!!" Seriously though I let her shift gears for me in my S-10(with the 2.8V6 a real powerhouse) and try to stress to her the need to be thinking ahead of everyone around you and assuming that they either don't see you or that something on their car is going to break and you need to be ready. The difference between not doing that on a motorcycle vs. a car can be a life and death decision.
[ 20. May 2004, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: mikerc ]
Posts: 49 | From: Atlanta GA | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
There are LOTS of reasons why you see so many more accidents and deaths today. One is quite simply a greater volume of vehicles on the road. Another that has already been mentioned is cellular phones. Still another is the whole street racing scene, which continues to gain support from Hollywood as an acceptable hobby.
Ken, you mentioned that traffic has gotten significantly worse within the past 5 years. Is it coincidence that within the same time period cellular phones have become something that everyone has? I admit I have talked and driven many times. It hit me how dangerous that is when I accepted a call while driving my Escort...my 5 speed Escort. I am sure many here can attest to how difficult, or almost impossible it is to hold a phone, steer around a curve, and shift gears at the same time. I will no longer talk on the phone while in the Escort, and I try not to in the SS, but on rare occasions I still find myself making a phone call without a hands free device in the SS.
Street racing today is just out of control. I know it existed years back b/c my dad is full of stories from his old Chevelles and his Camaro, but of course he justifies it saying "the streets weren't crowded at all back when I was racing!" I attribute much of street racing to the import/domestic battle, although I know that in more urban areas there are a lot more strictly import or strictly domestic races. For example, last night on my way home I was behind a Mitsubishi of some sort (Lancer I believe, but not an Evo). It had a huge fart can, and a sticker under the plate saying "maybe next time". I got into the other lane b/c he was in traffic, and as soon as he identified my car as "an evil V8 domestic", he fell back to allow plenty of room to fly back up beside me and all but rear end the SUV in front of him. Now, what the heck did that prove?
My biggest pet peeve has already been discussed...driving too slow in the fast lane.
To wrap this up, a thought about the original topic of making safer vehicles. Just b/c safer vehicles are made doesn't mean everyone will run out and buy them. I'll still be driving my SS for quite a few years, plus the Escort that's a 1990 model. My dad's truck is a 1988 and still runs strong, so it'll be on the road quite a while longer. Sure, eventually most of the vehicles on the road will adhere to the new safety standards, but that's not a complete fix anyway. Cars today are much safer than they were in the 80's for example, yet you still see a steady increase of accidents and deaths. Like others have said, it can be attributed to the lax policies of recieving a license. I know that mine was a breeze to obtain without taking any form of drivers education (I later took it in high school for the sole purpose of reducing my insurance rates).
Posts: 81 | From: Florence, SC | Registered: Aug 2003
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