Tampa #2 of Top Ten Most Dangerous Cities For Pedestrians (Brandon: live in, moving)

[Tim Tim Tim]

Originally Posted by Irishiis49

Have you ever walked through midtown at lunch hour? You can't imagine how many pedestrians there are. Taxi's only add to the danger!Yes people use the subways but they don't deliver a person to their jobs doorstep! I can't understand why Tampa is ranked so high...the only factor could be is the speed limits are higher on roads like US19(for example)which would lead to a higher fatality rate!

no, pedestrians are dumber here.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

no, pedestrians are dumber here.

I hate to say this, but I agree to some extent. Sure, you have the awful drivers who turn without checking crosswalks and stuff, but then you have the tourists along Gulf Boulevard who refuse to go a few hundred feet to a designated crosswalk. The same thing goes for the people who dart across Hillsborough, Park, et cetera.

[crazynip]

Originally Posted by ferret111

I hate to say this, but I agree to some extent. Sure, you have the awful drivers who turn without checking crosswalks and stuff, but then you have the tourists along Gulf Boulevard who refuse to go a few hundred feet to a designated crosswalk. The same thing goes for the people who dart across Hillsborough, Park, et cetera.

The majority of the bad drivers are the carpetbaggers who move down here from "up nawth"

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by crazynip

The majority of the bad drivers are the carpetbaggers who move down here from "up nawth"

Actually the worst drivers here are the poorly trained FL teens. They get no driver's ed, and a driving test here is a joke compared to other states.

When they're not "texting" they drive staring straight ahead. They don't glance to their left or right, don't look in their mirrors, they just stare straight ahead.

When you drive a car you need to be aware what the drivers around you and in back of you are doing, not just what is ahead of you.

Then add to the mix they have a full license at 16 and are there is no limit to the number of passengers they can have in the car.

You get a teen(especially a boy) with a carload of kids and they're going to show off.

Other states have raised the driving age, limit the car to one passenger, and have them off the road by 9pm, and have seen drastic reductions in deadly teen crashes.

[Keeper]

I think it is a little of both. I worked across from the old Tampa Bay Mall and I swear some drivers would speed up if they saw someone crossing the street.

Drivers not paying attention or driving too fast and pedestrians not seeing oncoming traffic.

[user8]

Originally Posted by crazynip

The majority of the bad drivers are the carpetbaggers who move down here from "up nawth"

gotta disagree with you on this one. the non-natives i've met down here are at least somewhat competent in defensive driving, even if they have to do so because of something they did. the natives i've met here drive like they're aloof to everything around them.

[Keeper]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Actually the worst drivers here are the poorly trained FL teens. They get no driver's ed, and a driving test here is a joke compared to other states.

When they're not "texting" they drive staring straight ahead. They don't glance to their left or right, don't look in their mirrors, they just stare straight ahead.

When you drive a car you need to be aware what the drivers around you and in back of you are doing, not just what is ahead of you.

Then add to the mix they have a full license at 16 and are there is no limit to the number of passengers they can have in the car.

You get a teen(especially a boy) with a carload of kids and they're going to show off.

Other states have raised the driving age, limit the car to one passenger, and have them off the road by 9pm, and have seen drastic reductions in deadly teen crashes.

These are the real facts.

They do have drivers ed in the schools
http://driverseducation.mysdhc.org/

There are also laws in FL..

Licensing & State Laws | AAA Keys2Drive


Even though your teen is now licensed and driving alone, Florida's three-stage licensing process is still at work.

At age 15, teens can apply for a learner’s license in the state of Florida. The teen must have completed a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Course; pass the written, vision and hearing tests; and have a signed parent consent form.

DMV Practice Questions – Take this sample test to determine if you’re ready to take the state driving test.
With a learner’s license, teens may only drive with a licensed driver age 21 or older supervising and sitting in the front seat. For the first three months, teens may only practice during daylight hours; then, teens may practice no later than 10 p.m. Teens are required to practice driving for at least 50 hours, including 10 hours at night, with a parent or a legal guardian, before they’re allowed an intermediate license.

When teens turn 16, have had a learner’s license for at least 1 year without any traffic violations and have completed 50 hours of practice driving, 10 of which must be at night, they can apply for the intermediate license. They also must pass a behind-the-wheel driving test, complete a vision test and provide proof of practice driving time. Legal guardians must accompany their teens to the DMV to sign the application form, or their signature must be notarized on the form.

At the intermediate stage, driving privileges are based on age. For a 16-year old, driving is allowed between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. For a 17-year old, driving is allowed between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. Outside of these time frames, teen drivers must be accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the front passenger seat, or must be traveling to or from work.

At age 18, teens are eligible for a full unrestricted license. The state does not place night or passenger limits on those with unrestricted licenses. However, AAA encourages parents to maintain their own rules.

[Escape317]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Other states have raised the driving age, limit the car to one passenger, and have them off the road by 9pm, and have seen drastic reductions in deadly teen crashes.

Coming from Indiana, I can say they changed a whole bunch over the last year.

The following criteria apply to a Learner's Permit Holder applying for a Driver's License.
Be a Minimum of 16 Years and 180 Days Old

Previously - Hold an Indiana Learner's Permit for a Minimum of 60 Days
Beginning July 1, 2010 - Hold an Indiana Learner's Permit for a Minimum of 180 Days

It was something like 16 years and 30 days for a license and then the 60 days for Learner's.

Once you get your license, you can't drive with anyone under the age of 18 (or 21 I can't remember) for 180 days.

For the first 180 days after getting a license: Drivers under the age of eighteen may not drive between the hours of 10:00p.m. and 5:00a.m.

After the first 180 days: drivers under the age of eighteen may not drive between the hours of 11:00p.m and 5:00a.m. on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, drivers may not drive between the hours of 1:00a.m. and 5:00a.m.

So there's been changes. I don't know how much these changes have had an affect but I've yet to get in an accident or be anywhere near one.

OT: I'm planning on coming down to Tampa in 6 months but this didn't steer me away. People today are unintelligent and only think about themselves, therefore pedestrian fatalities are going to happen.

Sources:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...rs.html?cat=17
http://teen.drivinglaws.org/indianat.php

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Keeper

These are the real facts.

They do have drivers ed in the schools
http://driverseducation.mysdhc.org/

There are also laws in FL..

Licensing & State Laws | AAA Keys2Drive


Even though your teen is now licensed and driving alone, Florida's three-stage licensing process is still at work.

At age 15, teens can apply for a learner’s license in the state of Florida. The teen must have completed a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Course; pass the written, vision and hearing tests; and have a signed parent consent form.

DMV Practice Questions – Take this sample test to determine if you’re ready to take the state driving test.
With a learner’s license, teens may only drive with a licensed driver age 21 or older supervising and sitting in the front seat. For the first three months, teens may only practice during daylight hours; then, teens may practice no later than 10 p.m. Teens are required to practice driving for at least 50 hours, including 10 hours at night, with a parent or a legal guardian, before they’re allowed an intermediate license.

When teens turn 16, have had a learner’s license for at least 1 year without any traffic violations and have completed 50 hours of practice driving, 10 of which must be at night, they can apply for the intermediate license. They also must pass a behind-the-wheel driving test, complete a vision test and provide proof of practice driving time. Legal guardians must accompany their teens to the DMV to sign the application form, or their signature must be notarized on the form.

At the intermediate stage, driving privileges are based on age. For a 16-year old, driving is allowed between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. For a 17-year old, driving is allowed between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. Outside of these time frames, teen drivers must be accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the front passenger seat, or must be traveling to or from work.

At age 18, teens are eligible for a full unrestricted license. The state does not place night or passenger limits on those with unrestricted licenses. However, AAA encourages parents to maintain their own rules.

That is way too late for teens to be out, other states restrict it to 9pm. With the exception being if a teen has a job that has night hours.

No reason to have teens driving till 1am.

I have lived here four years and a week doesn't go by where there isn't a deadly crash with a teen.

Yet it is the same drill, crying teens on TV, flowers on the road, and grief counselors being brought in.

But no one ever stops and says why was the driver driving reckless at midnight? Or why is this happening so frequently and how can we prevent it?

FL creates many of it's own problems on the highway buy having lax rules.

States that have raised the driving age and limit the number of passengers and the hours a teen can drive have seen drastic reductions in teen deaths.

[bravardmedia]

Plenty of drivers have tried to run me over, despite my caution in always watching for traffic. They are not tourists and they are all ages. The real problem is drivers who ignore speed limits and stop lights or stop signs. Pedestrians often don't bother crossing at intersections because they offer little safety, considering the red-light runners and the drivers who make right turns on red without looking or slowing down. The police need to be out writing tickets - the rules of the road are laws, not requests. We can create a walkable society, but we need better urban planning, and to get many folks over the old-fashioned idea that a car is the only way to do anything.