Traffic Deaths On The Rise -- What's Really To Blame? (vehicle, traction)

[28173]

The National Safety Council reported this week that traffic deaths and serious injuries in the U.S. are on a pace to rise for the first time in nearly a decade. If the trend for the first six months of this year continues, the NSC says traffic fatalities in the nation will exceed 40,000 for the first time since 2007 and deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled also will increase.

This despite evermore crashworthy cars and high-tech electronic safety features.

The “speed kills” coalition will blame the trend reversal on many states’ recent moves to higher highway speed limits, but the real culprits, suggests NSC president Deborah Hershman to the Associated Press, are low fuel prices and – get ready for it – cellphone mania...

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/traffic-...169729382.html

What is your take?

Mine is that cell phone usage is biggest factor for increased fatalities and accidents in general.

I don't know how many times I had a car blocking the passing line and creating huge traffic behind. When I finally get to pass the culprit, most often than not it is a young female driving under speed limit while often pressing the brakes (with no reason since there is no car in front) while looking at her phone and total oblivious of her surroundings...

[skinsguy37]

Originally Posted by 28173

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/traffic-...169729382.html

What is your take?

Mine is that cell phone usage is biggest factor for increased fatalities and accidents in general.

I don't know how many times I had a car blocking the passing line and creating huge traffic behind. When I finally get to pass the culprit, most often than not it is a young female driving under speed limit while often pressing the brakes (with no reason since there is no car in front) while looking at her phone and total oblivious of her surroundings...

Here's my thing about cell phone usage. States are making it illegal to text, and illegal for those under 21 to use their cell phone at all while operating a motor vehicle. Problem is, people continue to break that law no matter what. I'd say, best thing to do is to continue developing technology that will help to keep cell phone usage as hands-free and "eyes free" as possible. Such as the existing tech in a lot of newer cars with blue tooth. Maybe they could also integrate tech where the text is read to the driver through the car's speaker system - again via bluetooth, and that all the driver would need to do to answer is hit the "talk" button on the steering wheel, state the text message, and say "send". Maybe some vehicles already have that, but I think it should be standard in all vehicles at this point.

I have a very strict no texting policy in my car. I have hands-free bluetooth, so I can accept calls while I'm driving without being distracted, but I will not read texts or answer them, even at a stop light.

[sj08054]

Originally Posted by skinsguy37

Here's my thing about cell phone usage. States are making it illegal to text, and illegal for those under 21 to use their cell phone at all while operating a motor vehicle. Problem is, people continue to break that law no matter what. I'd say, best thing to do is to continue developing technology that will help to keep cell phone usage as hands-free and "eyes free" as possible. Such as the existing tech in a lot of newer cars with blue tooth. Maybe they could also integrate tech where the text is read to the driver through the car's speaker system - again via bluetooth, and that all the driver would need to do to answer is hit the "talk" button on the steering wheel, state the text message, and say "send". Maybe some vehicles already have that, but I think it should be standard in all vehicles at this point.

I have a very strict no texting policy in my car. I have hands-free bluetooth, so I can accept calls while I'm driving without being distracted, but I will not read texts or answer them, even at a stop light.

They already have APPS that read SMS and you can you already SMS using voice input. The problem is distraction. That is the biggest problem! People have gotten into the bad habit of getting into their vehicle and get into the routine of texting/talking while driving.

Laws can only do so much. Have you ever notice that the people who are supposed to be enforcing the law does it themselves?

We don't need more electronic to tell us how to behave.

[need4speed2012]

It all starts at home in my opinion, parents need to educate their children early and as for those past this stage, maybe some type of mandatory driving safety class for all would be helpful.

[Dburger]

My kids just realized on their own that there is entirely too much concentration needed while driving to use your phone. I do not think technology in cars is the right way to fix it (plus, I'm nearly at the point that I refuse to buy a new car ever again, even if it doesn't have this technology). You're right that the laws aren't enforced though, and I think the fines for texting/driving are way too low.

[Checkered24]

Distracted driving, especially from cell phone use, is a huge problem. Add more cars on the road now to the mix of distracted drivers, and absolutely accidents and injuries will go up.

However, to really pinpoint true causes, you would really need to see a lot of the data on the accidents. Where they are occuring, when they are occuring, in what vehicles, etc, to see if there are other identifiable trends.

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

I think it has very little to do with cell phones. The economy took a crap right around the 2007 so no wonder the figures have been going down as fewer people were driving. With the economy in a rebound for some time now there are simply more people on the roads and gas prices have held somewhat steady with even the Bay Area being below peak from a few years ago so people are more likely to drive. I can say for certain that in the San Francisco Bay Area traffic as gotten noticeably more dense over the past 3 years.

[Bummer]

These "anal" laws against kids under 18 or 21 using a cell phone are blatant BS.

A few years ago, I was rear-ended by a Dingbat Female Real Estate Agent well above 21, probably by at least two times, who was so "first person singular" important that she didn't even hang up when the Cop arrived at the scene. Thankfully, no damage to my Jeep CJ-7 but her SUV was all messed up and needed to be hauled away via Tow Truck.

There is not a call or a text message in the world worth the risk of a personal injury or even death accident.

Personally, I feel ALL Cell Phone Usage / Abuse needs to be outlawed and enforced ASAP.

[victimofGM]

Multiple factors. First is distracted driving, mainly cell phone related. These zombies can't seem to function without one in their hand. Mine stays either in my front pocket or in my lunch bag in the back seat. Next is DWI. This is more than drinking. With pot becoming more socially acceptable, parents even willing to smoke pot with their kids, states making it legal,...it's obvious that the number of people driving under the influence of pot would also increase. Third is illegal aliens. Since Obama and the U.S. Government doesn't want to convict and deport those who come here illegally and commit serious crimes here then our country is becoming over run with illegal aliens, many of whom don't speak English. Some states have even gone so far as to give them driver's license even without proof of citizenship or legal resident status. Some bring their POS cars from south of the border and as long as they have the plates from the country they're from, they're exempt from state inspection laws. I wouldn't care if the DWI or illegal crowd gets killed because of their behavior. But they usually kill others before they're killed.

[JONOV]

Folks, what happened in 2007? The economy crashed. The economy has somewhat recovered, and gas is cheap. People are finally driving more. More people on the road more often for longer distances means more wrecks. Its that simple.