Comments on: Speed Kills?

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 13:59:21 +0000

Josh: But cell phones have proliferated since then. Now, it seems that everyone is on the phone all the time. Still, the studies that I've seen comport with what your findings were.

By: Josh Cohen

Josh Cohen — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 13:12:46 +0000

One of the research papers I did for my Master's -- I believe in the summer of 2001 -- found that cellphone usage caused less than 2% of distracted-driving accidents, and that "things going on outside the car" (ie: billboards, people on the side of the road) were #1 with about 18%.

By: McGehee

McGehee — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:54:07 +0000

...it seems that almost all the drivers I witness making stupid mistakes are yapping on the phone.

That's odd, because when drivers around me are making stupid mistakes, I'm too busy trying to stay out of the accident to notice whether they're on the phone. ;-p

Anyway, most of the drivers I see making stupid mistakes are stupid. Having a cell phone is optional.

By: floyd

floyd — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:45:52 +0000

america's roads are as safe as possible with human driver's. the risk to drive on our highways, is accepable and to a huge extent controlable with good training and due diligence.there are more than adequate controls[laws and penalties], and in general the road designs are excellent.no matter what new measures are passed, there will always be bad drivers doing stupid things. their behaviors, for the most part have never been the focus of enforcement. also don't forget; even good drivers make bad mistakes. if you are afraid of traffic, then either improve your skills or stay off the road, because it's about as safe as it ever will be out there. please no more expansion of bureaucratic style "safety ideas".

By: jpe

jpe — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 01:36:08 +0000

While so-called â��left lane banditsâ�� drive me up the wall like most people, I cannot see how they are violating the law. Several states have laws requiring that freeway traffic stay to the right unless passing. Chalk me up as another person that's driven absolutely insane by left lane bandits.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:40:13 +0000

I'm all for personal responsibility. People who engage in high risk behavior should pay more than people who do not engage in those behaviors. Otherwise let's just have no fault insurance.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:21:02 +0000

While so-called "left lane bandits" drive me up the wall like most people, I cannot see how they are violating the law. In most places, I see a maximum speed limit of 65 or 70 (on 395 it is 55), but I do not see a "minimum speed limit" sign in many states. Even so, the minimum speed limit is 40 or 45mph, so as long as someone is doing that technically they are not really violating the law, are they? As far as cameras in the car: no. way. What would be next? Giving them the power to install speed regulators so you cannot go above a certain speed?

By: Jay Cline

Jay Cline — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 14:26:58 +0000

Going after Left Lane Bandits actually gets closer to the real "speed kills" issue. Excessive speed does not kill. Just like any airline catastrophe, accidents are a confluence of (mis)events. When you combine excessive speed with large speed differentiations (ie a Left Lane Bandit going 45, and a Just Got My License Mario going 72 and passing the Bandit on the right), you've got a recipe for disaster.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 14:25:00 +0000

DCL: Yikes, I'd hate to see insurance companies get that type of power.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 14:17:38 +0000

If the government or law enforcement won't take the lead, then the insurance industry should. One of the ideas that was brought up was to install cameras in all cars to monitor driver behavior. If the cameras capture the driver being inattentive before an accident occurs, then the insurance company can decline coverage for the accident. Hit them in the pocketbooks.

By: Russell Newquist

Russell Newquist — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 14:15:34 +0000

"Perhaps something along the lines of a heads-up display, common in aircraft and other military systems, could be adopted for private transportation." Some vehicles, like the Cadillac STS already have HUDs in their system, and there are places where you can buy them to add into an existing vehicle. This is pretty new still, but it's spreading.

By: Spam filterning 101

Spam filterning 101 — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

grow better when planted by naked gardeners? They do, according to “The Old Farmer’s Almanac All-Seasons Garden Guide.” It’s a fact turnips produce tastier roots when planted in warm soil. The old wives’ tale that turnips should be plantedSpeed Kills? Outside Beltway - The Washington Examiner editorial board (now under the direction of Mark Tapscott ) points to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study which found that eighty percent of vehicular crashes occur when drivers are distracted by