Auto Accident Fatalities

[Ernie]

The US has twice as many deaths per 100,000 vehicles as compared to many developed countries in Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... death_rate

Compared to Somalia, the US is not doing poorly at all. But I would rather compare to what we could be doing rather than the worst case scenarios.

[ohio jones]

The US has twice as many deaths per 100,000 vehicles as compared to many developed countries in Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... death_rate

We also travel twice as many miles per person as anyone in Europe, so it's proportional.
https://internationalcomparisons.org/environmental/transportation/

In terms of road fatalities per billion vehicle km, as presented in the Wikipedia chart, it's far safer to drive in the US than in Mexico or the Czech Republic. Those Czechs are surprisingly bad compared to their neighbors in Germany and Austria; it may have something to do with this chart.

[barnhart]

Here in NYC the current mayor ran on reducing traffic deaths and the results are encouraging. Many intersections were redesigned, lanes taken back from cars to create larger pedestrian islands in large streets, city speed limit reduced by five mph, trees and shrubbery planted close to lanes to calm traffic ect. Deaths and injuries are down significantly. This takes a lot of political will and it is very expensive. I suspect a city is probably the largest unit of government that could accomplish this in today's political climate.

[temporal1]

December 2017, California, a cousin’s 13 year old son was at a crosswalk with his younger sister, going home from school. Both were hit by an SUV. The boy was killed, his sister treated+released the same day.

January 2021, Illinois, a cousin’s adult daughter was killed after leaving a city bus after work.

i don’t believe high speed was a factor in either case. i don’t know “the official cause” of either.
even at low speeds, pedestrians are vulnerable to motor vehicle drivers.

[temporal1]

The US has twice as many deaths per 100,000 vehicles as compared to many developed countries in Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... death_rate

We also travel twice as many miles per person as anyone in Europe, so it's proportional.
https://internationalcomparisons.org/environmental/transportation/

In terms of road fatalities per billion vehicle km, as presented in the Wikipedia chart, it's far safer to drive in the US than in Mexico or the Czech Republic. Those Czechs are surprisingly bad compared to their neighbors in Germany and Austria; it may have something to do with this chart.

My family+i viewed Rick Steves in Prague last night.
Beer was not only a featured topic - the evidently typical beer steins were the largest i’ve ever seen! (half litre, i believe?)

[ohio jones]

My family+i viewed Rick Steves in Prague last night.

Lucky you. I haven't been out of the country for a year and a half.

[temporal1]

My family+i viewed Rick Steves in Prague last night.

Lucky you. I haven't been out of the country for a year and a half.

STOP THAT.




And, because i could not decide on one:

[temporal1]

2025

If it’s ok with Ernie and mods, i’d like to respond to this here:

I faced this last year on public transit...a homeless man made threatening statements to my two year old...we moved to the other side of the car. He lunged at us and I fled down the platform at the next stop. Won't be taking public transit anytime soon.

That's very scary and an unusual experience... Lot's of people ride public transit and don't experience things at that level. I've ridden public transit many times (even though not living in city) and have never seen anything like this. I love riding subways/rapid transit/etc. Millions of people use public transit daily and don't see this kind of thing very often, if ever. (Sure, strange / weird things, but not attacking people)

I have extensively used public transportation in LA, Australia, the UK, NYC, DC, SF, and Cleveland. It has become much worse in recent times, and you don’t see certain things if you are just a tourist that you do if you rely on it every day to get to and from work.

I am simply not going to take my family on public transportation if it is going to be acceptable to yell at us / scream obscenities at us based on our race; to engage in threatening behavior; and if bystanders who intervene (like Daniel Penny) instead are prosecuted.

If we take our own private car, we simply don’t have to deal with any of that.

JohnH, i agree with you to an extent.
My grdaughter, 17, is driving now, in the Seattle area, BUSY highways, PLENTY of aggression and crime on the highways.
New drivers are always a worry for loved ones, INSURANCE COMPANIES, too! Ins companies are exempt from “rule by PC politics”.
They exist by COLD HARD numbers.

i’m terrified of predators and criminals on highways. They see young drivers without any problem at all.
They can be reckless and know how to target the vulnerable. It happened to me when i was young, even with young children.
They often have powerful cars that can easily intimidate modest cars with responsible drivers. Driving toward Chicago once, i was “tailed” and chased by a big Cadillac, with our 4 year old daughter sitting innocently next to me.**

Cars provide a measure of safety. Not perfect.

- - - - - - -

**i was so afraid for our daughter, i feared they would run us off the road. she was happy and oblivious.
they seemed to be laughing and having a great time behind me. bullying is fun for bullies.
i was driving as fast as possible, HOPING for state police. nothing. i could not escape in my modest car.
just speeding was dangerous. i was inexperienced with wild driving, with a child next to me.

i saw an exit marked with state police headquarters, i took it. they drove off.

we were going to visit her grandparents. i was afraid to drive home.
they dressed me as a man, with one of grandpa’s hats. we got home ok.

the world has not progressed enough beyond barbarism. a lot of denial out there.
no statistics for a lot of it. much unreported.

[JohnH]

Last time I was in a serious situation in a car was in Elkhart IN, with the aggressors being in a car with, you guessed it, Illinois plates… likely from Chicago.

My girlfriend saw a 24 hour gym up ahead and suggested turning in there, and sure enough, big, buff guys were coming and going. We pulled into the parking lot, the aggressors did too, then they turned around and left.

[temporal1]

Last time I was in a serious situation in a car was in Elkhart IN, with the aggressors being in a car with, you guessed it, Illinois plates… likely from Chicago.

My girlfriend saw a 24 hour gym up ahead and suggested turning in there, and sure enough,
big, buff guys were coming and going.
We pulled into the parking lot, the aggressors did too, then they turned around and left.

Good idea about the gym. i know most males LOATHE predators, many have trouble controlling their rage.
i’ll be talking with my grdaughter about keeping an eye open for potential refuge when driving. Thanks.

With tech, her mother tracks her every moment. But, 20 miles away with traffic ..

The highways between, say East St Louis and Chicago transport a lot of evil. Evil is a sport for some. Esp behind the wheel.
They LOVE big powerful luxury cars. They feel invincible. i can see that, it’s not hidden. Police know it.

And, fewer highway patrols.

Barbarism is alive+well.