Georgia Pedestrain Deaths Spike. Other Cities See Large Improvements. (Between: tax, statistics)

[jsvh]

A graph showing how out of control the pedestrian fatalities are getting. We are not building safe streets anywhere near fast enough.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by jsvh

A graph showing how out of control the pedestrian fatalities are getting. We are not building safe streets anywhere near fast enough.

We aren't building safe pedestrians. I would suspect that graph would very closely track smart phone use. I don't know how many times pedestrians on their phones walk in front of me without looking. They don't seem to understand a lot of drivers may be doing the same thing they are. Even without that, Atlanta has the dumbest pedestrians I remember anywhere in the country. A lot of them just don't look even without phones. Maybe all the cross-walks and state laws make them over-confident and willing to bet their life that 2 ton vehicle will stop as it is supposed to.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by bu2

We aren't building safe pedestrians. I would suspect that graph would very closely track smart phone use. I don't know how many times pedestrians on their phones walk in front of me without looking. They don't seem to understand a lot of drivers may be doing the same thing they are. Even without that, Atlanta has the dumbest pedestrians I remember anywhere in the country. A lot of them just don't look even without phones. Maybe all the cross-walks and state laws make them over-confident and willing to bet their life that 2 ton vehicle will stop as it is supposed to.

So your solution is blaming the victims? What will that solve?

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by bu2

We aren't building safe pedestrians. I would suspect that graph would very closely track smart phone use. I don't know how many times pedestrians on their phones walk in front of me without looking. They don't seem to understand a lot of drivers may be doing the same thing they are. Even without that, Atlanta has the dumbest pedestrians I remember anywhere in the country. A lot of them just don't look even without phones. Maybe all the cross-walks and state laws make them over-confident and willing to bet their life that 2 ton vehicle will stop as it is supposed to.

I agree that smartphones are the cause, but it's also the car drivers on their phones.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jsvh

A graph showing how out of control the pedestrian fatalities are getting. We are not building safe streets anywhere near fast enough.

I'm sorry...have we been building tons of new roads or changing the roads around town in the past few years? Have drivers suddenly started behaving very differently? Has car technology changed so drastically over the past 15 years that driver deaths have gone down some 20%?

Driver deaths are down.
Motorcyclist deaths are down.
Bicyclist deaths are down.
Pedestrian deaths are way up.

What do you think has changed in the last five years that would cause such a large spike?

Originally Posted by jsvh

So your solution is blaming the victims? What will that solve?

Yes. Blame the people who are doing stupid things that endanger their own lives and the lives of those around them. 100%, absolutely. You have NO issue blaming drivers for damn near every ill you perceive in this city. But, when pedestrians do something stupid that causes themselves or someone else harm, suddenly you can't fathom pointing the finger at them.

I understand having bias, but this is just as blatant as can be. Maybe the problem actually is pedestrians not paying attention, and not everyone else.

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

I agree that smartphones are the cause, but it's also the car drivers on their phones.

I want to see a map of pedestrian fatality locations to get a better grasp as to where this is happening. I no longer commute on Fulton Industrial, but let me tell you...driving on that road just south of I-20 is like playing reverse ******* (really?? Why is the name of a video game based around a frog trying to cross a road bleeped out?? The moderation on this site is so weird). There are so many random people just stepping out into traffic and crossing the street rather than waiting at a crosswalk or for a signal, of which there are several close together. And I assure you that none of them were on smartphones. And oftentimes wearing black in the middle of the night.

[jsvh]

Check the data Sam. Auto and bike fatalities in Georgia are up around the same period too.





But let's say you are right, and no drivers ever look at their phone and it is all pedestrians stepping in the street without looking. What are you going to do to solve it?

[evannole]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Check the data Sam. Auto and bike fatalities in Georgia are up around the same period too.





But let's say you are right, and no drivers ever look at their phone and it is all pedestrians stepping in the street without looking. What are you going to do to solve it?

Where is the legend for this graph? It's not the least bit clear what we are looking at here.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

I'm sorry...have we been building tons of new roads or changing the roads around town in the past few years? Have drivers suddenly started behaving very differently? Has car technology changed so drastically over the past 15 years that driver deaths have gone down some 20%?

Driver deaths are down.
Motorcyclist deaths are down.
Bicyclist deaths are down.
Pedestrian deaths are way up.

What do you think has changed in the last five years that would cause such a large spike?



Yes. Blame the people who are doing stupid things that endanger their own lives and the lives of those around them. 100%, absolutely. You have NO issue blaming drivers for damn near every ill you perceive in this city. But, when pedestrians do something stupid that causes themselves or someone else harm, suddenly you can't fathom pointing the finger at them.

I understand having bias, but this is just as blatant as can be. Maybe the problem actually is pedestrians not paying attention, and not everyone else.



I want to see a map of pedestrian fatality locations to get a better grasp as to where this is happening. I no longer commute on Fulton Industrial, but let me tell you...driving on that road just south of I-20 is like playing reverse ******* (really?? Why is the name of a video game based around a frog trying to cross a road bleeped out?? The moderation on this site is so weird). There are so many random people just stepping out into traffic and crossing the street rather than waiting at a crosswalk or for a signal, of which there are several close together. And I assure you that none of them were on smartphones. And oftentimes wearing black in the middle of the night.

The size of vehicles Americans are driving are larger, which is more dangerous for anyone not not a vehicle.

[AtlJan]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

I'm sorry...have we been building tons of new roads or changing the roads around town in the past few years? Have drivers suddenly started behaving very differently? Has car technology changed so drastically over the past 15 years that driver deaths have gone down some 20%?

Driver deaths are down.
Motorcyclist deaths are down.
Bicyclist deaths are down.
Pedestrian deaths are way up.

What do you think has changed in the last five years that would cause such a large spike?



Yes. Blame the people who are doing stupid things that endanger their own lives and the lives of those around them. 100%, absolutely. You have NO issue blaming drivers for damn near every ill you perceive in this city. But, when pedestrians do something stupid that causes themselves or someone else harm, suddenly you can't fathom pointing the finger at them.

I understand having bias, but this is just as blatant as can be. Maybe the problem actually is pedestrians not paying attention, and not everyone else.



I want to see a map of pedestrian fatality locations to get a better grasp as to where this is happening. I no longer commute on Fulton Industrial, but let me tell you...driving on that road just south of I-20 is like playing reverse ******* (really?? Why is the name of a video game based around a frog trying to cross a road bleeped out?? The moderation on this site is so weird). There are so many random people just stepping out into traffic and crossing the street rather than waiting at a crosswalk or for a signal, of which there are several close together. And I assure you that none of them were on smartphones. And oftentimes wearing black in the middle of the night.

The increase in pedestrian deaths also correlates with the increase in foreign-born individuals living in our state. Having traveled extensively in Honduras and Guatemala where many of our recent immigrants come from, I can tell you that they are not educated in our pedestrian and traffic laws whatsoever. They are coming from a fend-for-yourself roadway mentality. We need to do a better job of educating our native-born citizens on the subject as well, but obviously adults who come here and plan to stay need some education on walking/driving rules. Passing a roadway safety course should be a requirement for legal residency, and all people living here should be legal--for a plethora of health and safety reasons. Having people walking around clueless to our safety laws is dangerous to them and everyone else.

[jsvh]

And if the source of the problem were cars & drivers how would you know?

Maybe we should stop trying to force people to drive so much: Americans Shouldn’t Have to Drive, but the Law Insists on It | The Atlantic

It is just too dangerous regardless. Even before this spike, cars were still a top killer. It's not like 1500 deaths from cars is too much and 1100 a deaths a year is an acceptable number.

Also, here is the source of that graph: DriveAlert ArriveAlive

And how about this little stat from that page: "70% fatalities in crashes are caused by unsafe driving behaviors, including distractions, impairment or driving too fast for conditions."

Sounds like drivers might need to take some responsibility and learn to share the road with pedestrians and bikes.