Once World Leader in Traffic Safety, U.S. Drops to No. 9

[DUreader]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1127-03.htm


snip


Many safety experts cite several reasons the United States
has fallen in the rankings, despite having vehicles equipped
with safety technology that is at least as advanced as, if not
more than, any other nation. They include lower seat-belt
use than other nations; a rise in speeding and drunken
driving; a big increase in deaths among motorcyclists, many
of whom do not wear helmets; and the proliferation of large
sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, which are more
dangerous to occupants of other vehicles in accidents and
roll over more frequently.

"Our fatality rates are lowering, but not to the degree they
have lowered in other regions of the world," said William T.
Hollowell, director of the Office of Applied Vehicle Safety
Research at the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.

Traffic deaths and injuries are growing as a global health
issue. The World Health Organization, preparing a report on
the issue, says traffic accidents will become the world's
third-leading cause of death and disability by 2020, up from
ninth today — a toll particularly costly because victims are
so often young adults.

Indeed, automobile accidents will be the main subject of
World Health Day next April, supplanting diseases like
H.I.V./AIDS and malaria.



snip

[demsrule4life]

1. Alabama drivers are doing their

best to drop the U.S. rankings even faster. My two pet peeves, not using turn signals even though they are standard equipment in cars and driving without headlights unless it is totally dark out. Guess they are trying to save energy or something.

[leftofthedial]

2. this frigging country can't do anything right anymore

democratic process: fucked up

healthcare: fucked up

employment: fucked up

international reputation as the "good guys": fucked up

environment: fucked up

social safety net: fucked up

power infrastructure: fucked up

transportation infrastructure: fucked up

telecommunications infrastructure: fucked up

What the hell happened to America?

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. "What the hell happened to America?"

I assume that's a rhetorical question.

[Fovea]

9. A few thugs got obscenely rich

the rest got screwed.
In short, we took off down the road to
third world parity.

[lostnfound]

4. Houston too; road design plays a role.

Traveling on Houston highways feels like a video game. Left hand merges, combined exit-and-entrance ramps, last-minute signage.

Roads here go to the lowest bidder, even though 12 out of 13 major projects he is running are months or years late. Roads under construction are the norm.

[patdem]

5. We have the same in VA...Entrance/Exit ramp...you have about

10 feet of seperation between a car comming on to the highway and one leaving the highway. When I was a kid I got butterflies in my tummy when I had cars and sand and 'highway' construction. I was a girl...now a woman, but I should have been a traffic engineer, I know now that it is too late to even consider that change...however, I find California highways so WONDERFUL...they even have stop lights at entrances to freeways...wow...what a concept.

America is failing and falling in so many areas. Did you see the article that European companies see America as a 'Cheap Labor' country, like we used Mexico? I said when Gingrich had his 'Contract on America' that we were being sold into 3rd World status. I asked the question. How much money could be made by turning a first world country into a third world country...I am finding out. Check Bush/Halliburton/Carlyle???

[lostnfound]

10. I call some of them 'zipper merges'

Hi PatDem,
In Houston, there's a spot downtown where two 2-lane freeway roads merge in the middle to form a 3-lane freeway. Totally blind until you are actually merging, because of the ugly concrete barriers they put on both sides of the road. The two roads are expected to fold together like a zipper.

I'm an engineer but not for traffic.

It was appalling to read (one of the rare, good ones in the Houston Chonicle) stories about the Williams Brothers here. There's one particularly dangerous section of I10 that was instantaneously divided in the middle, via concrete barricades, in a 55 mph zone. (I don't mean dividing opposing traffic, but in the middle of lanes going in the same direction). So many tragedies there..an inherently dangerous design. The reaction of the Williams Brothers t questioning about it was along the lines of 'hey, if people aren't careful, it can happen anywhere'.

I don't really know what our mayor has been good for; I'm sure there are some things, but the basics of infrastructure has been darn pitiful, IMHO.

[NickB79]

6. Can we build roads and intersections like the Europeans?

I was watching something on TV about how the round, flowing European intersections really help to lower traffic accidents. You can't go speeding through them recklessly unless you want to roll your car or go off the road. Why can't we impliment that here?

[NickB79]

7. Here's a crazy idea: promote public transportation more!

More people you have using public transportation, less drivers on the streets, less congestion.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. harder driving tests might help too

The Pennsylvania driving test is, quite frankly, a joke to anyone who's taken the British one (can anyone say if it's significantly easier than others in the USA?). A lot of accidents are caused by drivers with little experience, so a test that actually weeds out the incompetent ones could make a difference.