Hard to drive when you can't afford the gas.

Thank the cars, not the drivers.

This is bad news for my boss, who films fatal accidents and sells them to the news.

How are the American highway cripples working out?

maybe our emergency medical efforts are just getting better at keeping people alive (minus limbs or with permanent severe head injuries, etc)

Less drunk drivers, safer cars.

NuclearScientist: Hard to drive when you can't afford the gas.

It's deaths per miles traveled

No one has jobs to go to.

This is bad news for Obama.

So what about casualties? I bet those are up compared to deaths.

I don't text while driving as much after I ran a red light, clipped a pole, did a 180 in the intersection and slammed into the mentally challenged guy in his wheelchair.

It's because the speed limits are going up.

You know, I always figured GPS units could at least prevent a lot of fender-benders. Instead of rubber-necking every street sign looking for "Park Place", you can just keep driving until you hear "at the next right turn onto Park Place".

ackb4r: This is bad news for my boss, who films fatal accidents and sells them to the news.

Dirty Laundry?

Yeah? Well, my kid just started driving, so kiss your stats goodbye suckers!

SkittlesAreYum: You know, I always figured GPS units could at least prevent a lot of fender-benders. Instead of rubber-necking every street sign looking for "Park Place", you can just keep driving until you hear "at the next right turn onto Park Place".

And then run over all the protesters and counter protesters?

/If only

Barakku: NuclearScientist: Hard to drive when you can't afford the gas.

It's deaths per miles traveled

It's in total number of deaths too. The number includes bicyclists, and pedestrians. Almost every possible metric hasn't been lower in 60 years of record keeping for roadway safety. Link. (new window)

This is good news, for Ralph Nader.

Don't gis that with safe search turned off.

/unless your into that sort of thing.

That'll change if the Libertarians get their way.

Thanks to better vehicles, better roads, and better medical care. Maybe fewer DUIs too?

NuclearScientist: Hard to drive when you can't afford the gas.

$2.70 where I am. Remember when it was closing in on $6? Wasn't too long ago. Gas is reasonable unless you're driving a tank or live in Europe.

SkittlesAreYum: You know, I always figured GPS units could at least prevent a lot of fender-benders. Instead of rubber-necking every street sign looking for "Park Place", you can just keep driving until you hear "at the next right turn onto Park Place".

I think they probably do, you just hear about the most amazingly stupid people. If you drive into a lake because your GPS thinks it's a road, you're probably stupid enough to hurt yourself in countless other ways anyway.

Latinwolf: That'll change if the Libertarians get their way.

Derp.Not likely (new window)

We must be importing more lemons.

Knucklepopper: How are the American highway cripples working out?

Kind of my first question. Is there a Highway Accident Disfigurement Analysis Database?

Die Cagers, DIE!

J/k

"Joe, don't you remember those movies they showed us in high school, - RED ASPHALT, BLOOD ON THE PAVEMENT?!?"

"You just named two of my favorites, bub."

What about the Funeral Directors, casket companies, headstone makers, florists, grave diggers, cemetery workers, greeting card companies, suit makers, hearse manufacturers, etc.???? Has anyone thought about how this will impact them? Don't they have a PAC to fight all this safety crap?

This is thanks to improved safety technology in automobiles.

How does it relate to traffic crashes?

Maybe I ought to take up drunk driving...

ag-ghm: We must be importing more lemons.



Are they on sale again?

"We could not be happier, but we are not going to sit back on our laurels. We have a long, long way to go," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says.
--------------------------------

Job security quote of the day.

ag-ghm: We must be importing more lemons.

Wow, that's a good r-squared value you got there.

/when did I become a stat nerd?

Knucklepopper: How are the American highway cripples working out?

I don't know, but I have to be at the gym in 26 minutes and I'll ask them.

/lazy cripples never want to give a guy a spot.

Tapakip: Thank the cars, not the drivers.

THIS.

Also: Raise the damned speed limits. We were tootling along at 75++ in Pintos and Corvairs on highways designed for even more. Now we're stuck at 55-65 (except for some vaguely-enlightened states out west) in cars that could easily and comfortably handle 80-100mph on open stretches. The government and Safety Hysteria crippled air travel... least they could do would be allowing us to replace it with rapid travel by car. Hell, you could stratify speed limits by the weight of the vehicle "in the name of safety!", and do the environment a favor by encouraging trading in ridiculous SUVs (limited to, say, 60) for efficient smaller cars (limited to, say, 80-100).

Oh, wait, convenience and efficient transportation will never overcome the junta of insurance companies, MADD and the like, and "think of the children!" legislators.

Sigh.

Tapakip: Thank the cars, not the drivers.

And done.

Traffic is so bad the average speed limit is now about 25 MPH even on the freeways. Might have something to do with it.

It's probably because all the dumbasses are in foreign countries killing brown people instead of driving on our roads.

Need to know #wrecks/mile driven, #wrecks/capita, #fatalites/wreck.

Blind_Io: How does it relate to traffic crashes?

Overall crashes, both in number and in rate are also lower - down some 35% since 1988:

Link (pdf, new window)

Youvegastar: It's probably because all the dumbasses are in foreign countries killing brown people instead of driving on our roads.

You

farm machine: What about the Funeral Directors, casket companies, headstone makers, florists, grave diggers, cemetery workers, greeting card companies, suit makers, hearse manufacturers, etc.???? Has anyone thought about how this will impact them? Don't they have a PAC to fight all this safety crap?

Actually they should want safety, everyone of us will be a customer at some point, the longer people live, the more spawn, the more spawn the more clients.

It's all about long term gains.