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The problem is the overall fatality indicators (NHSTA) show that not only is the (per capita) fatality and accident and injury rates down but they are at the lowest per capital rate in years. In addition, the miles are up, the population is up, the vehicle population fleet is up and the rate is going down!! (so please don't shoot the messenger) DUI fatalities still hover around 40%.
I happen to read somewhere that in CA, which I think most would agree has probably the most of everything; only had something like 2,700 auto fatalities. Please don't start on the mantra of "if we can prevent just even ONE death" it would all be worth it!
While I agree in theory that one should in effect "throw the book" at so called DUI drivers, in practice, the asset confiscation and the laws governing it, leaves a LOT to be desired.
I use hands-free myself, but continue to focus more on the driving, than the actual conversation. And have always been able to deal with dicey situations, without the cellphone having any effect over the situation, I just say "Hold on" before I cut someone off or use the emergency lanes.
Ever there's some people who drive, who they feel the need to make eye-contact with you as a passenger, while they are driving ? Already it shows what they are focusing on... I being the passenger, I'm constantly slapping them and telling them to look forward, urrrr annoys me.
The improved auto accident fatality rates are impressive, but I think they're a result of cars being safer, not drivers. You'll notice that the injury rate is decreasing at a much flatter rate than the fatality rate.
And in any event, 42,643 people died on American roads in 2003. Regardless of proportions and percentages, that is a huge number, and I fail to believe it can't be reduced further--and substantially, too, not just incrementally.
"While I agree in theory that one should in effect "throw the book" at so called DUI drivers, in practice, the asset confiscation and the laws governing it, leaves a LOT to be desired."
I disagree. When it comes to DUI, I will always prefer to err on the side of overzealousness rather than the drunk driver's "rights". Driving under the influence isn't a hell of a lot different than putting on a blindfold and firing a gun in random directions. It's an extremely serious crime that isn't punished anywhere near as stringently as it ought to be.
Now when I drive in NM and AZ, two states that vie for the capital of DUI fatalities, then subconsciously and consciously I AM concerned!
And I don't understand the point of comparing apples and apples--the root of the problem is drunk driving, not the number of people who happened to be killed by drunk drivers.
I'd rather penalize driving while distracted, whatever the cause.
Once such statistics are recorded in that way, alcohol is presumed to be causal in all alcohol-related accidents. Neat bit of card-stacking by MADD - probably inflates the number of alcohol caused accidents, injuries and deaths by double or better. Amazing what an agenda can accomplish...
Then suddenly past one avenue I told her (Yes we were on the cellphone even if she was in the car behind me) to slam the gas hard and hit 60MPH because if not we miss the next light. So it's now known, we need to hit 60 to make the next light.
Then 5 lights after that one, you get stuck with a red, but when it turns green, just accelerate to a mild 20 and let it coast because the next one 2 blocks down will still be red.
So again, all depends...
But again, I'm not a proponent of using cell phones while driving.. There's some people who can do it, do it well... But most other's can't, and those are the one's that cause issues.
She wouldn't pass when there was a strip. She wanted to follow someone to guide her home, but she wanted them to go faster.
Still wish I'd rigged up a pump that sprays used motor oil in a vapor out the back of the car to mess up the windshield of tailgaters!!!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Hubby was pissed to say the least, but I have to give him credit for not ramming the guy off the road, I know the thought was there, lol.
Something about that Titan brings out the jerk in other drivers.
I ain't buying it. I simply don't believe it. I don't think most people have any idea how their driving changes when they pick up the phone. I don't support laws banning hand-held phones, but I think people need to accept simple reality.
FTM, the 46-60 acceleration "to make traffic lights" sounds to me like something that needs the benefits of enforcement (although I admit I'd have to see the area. If it was an industrial area that is abandonned at night it might make sense.) I also do not support many of the rediculous speed laws, but some reason needs to prevail. Just my $.02.
That excuse is in the same category as the "A little drink doesn't bother me. It may bother other people's ab ility to drive, but not mine!"
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I recently passed someone on the shoulder, they were hogging both lanes in an uphill section with a slow truck lane. No they weren't in a truck, was a Stratus RT. They didn't seem to happy, however, they were doing 5 under the limit, and I was around long before it went back to one. In my mirror I could see that they never sped up, as traffic was quickly piling up behind them.
Several years ago, I actually had someone chase me for 20 miles!!!!! They must have felt I slighted them by passing traffic before being trapped by the slow movers. They were in a 1st gen. Aerostar, smoking badly, no contest for the 98 Malibu I was in. The guy driving was hanging out the window yelling, and shaking his fist. Had a young boy in the front passenger seat, with no seatbelts on. A few turns and hi speed forays down some North Carolina coastal forest roads, left him to choke on his own smoke. Funny thing is, he never honked once. Usually if someone cuts you off, you honk at them, right? Anyways, that was the only time I was ever chased. Anyone else here get chased?
The convenience is inescapable, but easily made unnecessary by a small bit of planning... or patience, whichever comes first. Trouble is nobody has patience for anything any more, especially for someone else. "The hurry I'm in is more critical that the hurry you're in" is the rule of the day.
But I'm afraid we'd better get used to the instant-gratification generation, and learn to deal with it. It's no-doubt here to stay. <sigh!>
Yes the Titan could have easily stayed put and fended the guy off, but I think we would have been hit. The guy looked like the type with no insurance and basically a loser, was better to just let it pass.
I tapped the brakes to flash the lights, waited about 5 seconds and slowed down. I saw her hit the curb on the outside of the ramp. I suspect her lipstick was smeared a little.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
When my father was stationed in Germany, with the Army, he had this MPV driver's relative, try the same stunt. Only thing was, dad was driving a 5 ton, towing a trailer. This idiot tried passing the trailer, and then cut in between the trailer,and truck! And yes, moron blamed my dad. A little accident investigation proved him wrong, and he got jail time for false accustions and various traffic violations. The German Polezei don't take too kindly to idiots on their roads.
I was learning to drive, in So. Cal, when the freeway shootings were all the rage. Most of that was happening in and around the greater L.A. area. I was living in the High Desert area. That was 14 years ago.
Still...if you don't notice a shiny big 2 ton Mercedes on a sunny day, what else are you missing? Smaller cars, two wheeled transport, and pedestrians, at least. And how many lives are you risking? And why do you think you have any legitimate right to be endangering others? Something really needs to be done about some older drivers. The days of mandatory testing at a certain age better be coming.
I agree that mandatory testing it needed at a certain age is needed. I think it should start at 18 and continue every two years thereafter. If my car needs checking every two years in case it pollutes, a license needs review every two years.
Many older drivers need to be filtered that need glasses or other reviews about driving, but many younger drivers need to be reviewed on basic driving safety and courtesy. I think each age group has its deficits which would benefit from a review of the laws of physics and driving.
What's especially irritating is that in Ohio the license is renewed every 5 years. They now have a cursory eye test but there's no real review of driving rules.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
A) If I left my phone somewhere difficult to reach, I ignore it.
C) If I'm on a freeway, I'll get into the right lane and pace someone (not tailgate, just pace). Pacing someone at a safe distance is a fairly brainless activity that doesn't require a lot of concentration.
D) Most family and friends know I don't like talking while driving so if I let them know I'm in a car, they say they'll call back.
Of course, I'm hardly a good example since I don't use my cellphone much anyway. (maybe 2 or 3 calls per week??)
I ran a Dodge Colt off the road once in a situation like that. I was delivering pizzas in my Grandma's '85 LeSabre, and this colt makes a right turn on red without even stopping, and just leisurely rolls out in front of me. I laid into the horn and didn't even try to stop, although I did make sure that there was nothing in the oncoming lane, so I could dive over there if need be. But I guess the Colt's driver wasn't in the mood for a LeSabre enema, so he ducked off onto the shoulder.
And, instead of learning from his mistake and vowing never to do anything so stupid again, I'm sure that he spent the rest of the week whining about the psycho in the old lady car who ran him off the road!
Some other are calls I must make from one worksite, to another. Sometimes I'll have last minutes calls saying "it's raining, don't bother coming"... This obviously saves time. OTher for other's I tell them the same, to just leave their voicemail on, BUT I, and 2 other friends I have are the only one's who can drive perfectly fine without the cellphone being a distraction.
Not everyone goes brain dead when a cellphone is turned on... Even in stores I've had people bump into me, who were on cell phones. I'm a believer when the cellphone turns on, people's brains turns off... of course, in a store I can push back, be confrontational, and curse at them... While when I see someone driving ON a cellphone and they do something stupid, I cut them off and pretend they aren't even there :-)
Like I said, why not just turn the phone off when you get in the vehicle. You don't need to answer it while you're driving.
ANT14
BS! No one can drive perfectly while using the cell phone. No matter how good you think you drive while using it, it's still a unnecessary distraction.
Yeah, really! One morning I was driving on a similar road at the 40mph limit with an older woman about 150 yards behind - the only two vehicles in sight. Ahead I saw a brick laying in the road, and straddled it. In the mirror I watched as the old woman ran over it with both right-side wheels! Then she's all upset, looking in the mirror with that "What was that!" look on her face.
Golly, a brick is huge, clearly visible, and there was ample space between us for her to steer around it.
Sometimes I wonder what people are looking at when they stare out the windshield! Scary...
Talking on a cellphone is distracting, just like tuning the stereo, eating, putting on makeup, reading the paper, are distracting during driving.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Most of these multiple calls people keep getting while they are driving are because their fan club knows they are available at that time. Let them know you are not, and the calls will go away.
Even answering a call on ONSTAR distracts while I push the button.
How do you see the caller ID without having to pick up the phone?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Sometimes I have to put down either my coffee or the newspaper, but heck that's no problem...
I too once had a run in with a Dodge Colt. The driver turned left in front of me in a green light intersection. I intentionally didn't slow down, as I could tell I wasn't going to hit it, and missed it by a second. At the last moment the driver noticed me, and looked very startled. It would have been like a hot knife through butter.
I've noticed when some people smoke and drive, they can go off into la-la land.
I forgot another option: Often I give the phone to my girlfriend since she knows most of my friends/family. I let her handle the conversation, and then she debriefs me later on what's going on.
This is all in spite of the fact that I don't get many calls in the first place. I guess I don't have many friends? (:-<
On the way down, we got stuck behind a diesel Dodge truck pulling a horse trailer. He was doing 20-25 in the straight sections, 10-15 in the curves and belching diesel stench the whole way - not exactly the fresh mountain air we were looking for. Now, generally folks towing trailers are pretty courteous and pull over to let you pass. This guy was having none of that. He passed up at least three turnouts in the 2 or 3 miles we were stuck behind him.
Finally the road went straight for a stretch with a dotted yellow line with plenty of room and nobody coming, so I downshifted and went for the pass. Right as I got along side he moved over to the left halfway into the oncoming lane, forcing me into the gravel along the left side of the road! I floored it and got past him ASAP and didn't see him again.
I suppose it could have been an honest mistake. After all, I'd only been following him for almost 10 minutes. Maybe he didn't see me flash my lights and toot my horn to let him know I was about to pass. Or, maybe he just thought it would be fun to try and kill my whole family off. Jerk.
-Jason