You can turn the bad drivers into good ones in Austin (Houston: insurance, crime) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

wheregirl · 10-12-2008, 03:41 PM

Hello, the very helpful and kind people of Austin,

The high accident rate on the Austin roads is affecting everyone, but it is a man-made condition that is rather easy to fix, if You and everyone of you that posted and are concerned Take Action now.

Your life is at risk whether you are a good driver or not, and yet that is a condition that is as simple and as easy to fix as to write to your mayor and to collectively petition to him/her to set up a taskforce to make the roads of Austin safe for you and your family.

You Can change it, it takes less time and energy than to worry about your safety on the road.

This is my observation and sugguestion from reading your posts. You need to raise awareness and organize and take action to make Austin roads the safest in U.S.

The plan: these three things can make Austin roads really safe:

(1) Enforcement:

Have lots of police cars and technological devices that monitor and catch rule breakers and give them tickets. Have a hotline where people call in to report the bad drivers.

You will be amazed how quickly people become excellent drivers after, and for some only after, they get a few tickets.

In some towns I know if you drive even in a slightly strange way for a few minutes you will see a police car following you immediately. And they have police cars parked by the junctions where people tend to break the rules to catch them.

When there is enforement then it matters not where people are from, they all learn in a great hurry not to drive badly in that place.

One really importnat thing is that the police regularly give people alcohol test on the road, that catches a lot of drink-n-drive.

The only reason that there are so many rule breakers and bad drivers is because the police does not enforce the rules and that the other drivers do nothing to report the rule breakers.

(2) Put up signs and flashing lights and warnings for all the twists and turns in the roads. Equip the roads to make them safer.

There is nothing you can do about the design of the roads, but you can make them safe by installing mirrors and other sensors and lights. There are so many advanced technological devices that serves all these purposes, there is no excuse that a progressive and intelligent city as Austin does not use them widely.

(3) Create a massive campaign and drivers' education to make safe driving a rule.

People tend to forget that they need to be cautious, and you can remind them with bumper stickers. You can start a new trend in which people compete to be better drivers rather than the worst drivers on the road.

You can also give real incentives by the insurance firms that lower people's premium if they have taken remedial driver's lessons.

an extra: some states have passed law that ban talking on cell phone while driving, more progressive states tend to adopt that.

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Let this thread be one where you put in suggestions and take actions to make your life on the road safer. Get off you butt and write to your mayor, or whoever, to protect your lives!

RampageInAZ · 10-12-2008, 04:27 PM

I can't be the only one that thinks a ticket for 5 miles over is ridiculous.

wheregirl · 10-12-2008, 08:51 PM

Sounds like you want rampage in Austin. I wonder whether all the people in Austin, rather than in AZ, feel like you do too. Maybe people rather want the high accident rates than following the rule on the road. They can't have both.

RampageInAZ · 10-12-2008, 09:36 PM

Do you really think Austin is that bad? I am from Houston, and accidents are much worse and much more common.

The roads of Austin don't seem as conducive to high speeds and idiot maneuvers as Houstons 8 lane super roads (Westhiemer, 1960).

About AZ, I'm not there yet, hopefully next year.

maadimom · 10-12-2008, 09:50 PM

When I first moved to Switzerland, I received my very first traffic fine. My photo was taken by one of the many, many cameras for going 1km over the speed limit, yes, 1 kilometer. They take it as it is...a limit, not the minimum speed you must drive as it seems people do here. I wasn't happy about the fine as it is so simple for your car speedometer readings to be off, but I assure you I never even came close to the speed limit again. There were cameras at all intersections to catch those who ran a red light, which I never saw. In three years of living there, I only saw a couple of accidents. The nicest thing about having that much control was that driver's were very tolerant of each other. Someone always let you in, and during very heavy traffic, there was this unwritten rule of taking turns at busy intersections.

Austin drivers do seem to be pretty bad, but they are not the worst I've experienced. The lack of road improvements seems to cause more road rage than anything I've seen. I for the life of me do not see why the bridges for I35 South aren't finished, or the one from S.Mopac to Hwy 290.

S6Sputnik · 10-12-2008, 10:13 PM

This has to be some kind of a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Austin drivers are great and should drive faster without punishment! Go fight real crime folks!!!

S6Sputnik · 10-12-2008, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheregirl

Sounds like you want rampage in Austin. I wonder whether all the people in Austin, rather than in AZ, feel like you do too. Maybe people rather want the high accident rates than following the rule on the road. They can't have both.

What is this High Accident rate you speak of? And FYI when Michigan raised their speed limit from 55mph to 70mph their accident rates went down on the interstates! So yes you can have it both faster and safer!!!

I have driven (too fast for 25 years) and NOT even a scratch have I made in anyones car! (knocking on wood)

Maybe it is not the SPEED traveled, but the awareness and attention given to DRIVING by the DRIVER!

that is the real issue! Get of the phones folks!!!

AustinSpartan · 10-13-2008, 07:18 AM

And how I miss those 70mph days back in Metro Detroit.

Nothing like 8" of snow on the ground and a 4x4 flying by at 70!

love roses · 10-13-2008, 08:58 AM

Maybe it is not the SPEED traveled, but the awareness and attention given to DRIVING by the DRIVER! that is the real issue! Get of the phones folks!!!

Not according to "Dr. G". She said speed is a factor as to the damage you do to yourself if you have an accident, whether you think you're aware or not.

tstone · 10-13-2008, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RampageInAZ

Do you really think Austin is that bad? I am from Houston, and accidents are much worse and much more common.

Insurer ranks safest driving cities - U.S. news - MSNBC.com

It's old but there are others that basically show the same thing. Time between accidents is a bit shorter for Austin drivers vs Houston drivers. There are more accidents in Houston simply because there are literally millions more people. There is a lot more randomness/sleepiness in Austin, which probably causes more accidents.