Who cares? (Austin: live, safer, licenses)

[Denver303TJC]

I think it's awful when people die on the roads (or elsewhere) before it coming to being from natural causes. But, with that said, some of the drivers in Austin need to start meeting each other "half way" and not driving like banshees; I've seen people driving down the shoulder of the road, making crazy turns, etc., which I know isn't an Austin-only problem, but one that needs to be fixed. As others mentioned, many people get behind the wheel and may feel invincible, or harried, and rush to where they're going and they get hurt or worse.

I think we can all agree that we all need to drive safely! :-)

[S&AMOM]

I feel I'm in danger every time I drive here. I have a baby and kids in my van and people drive super aggressively around me way more than when I drive my husband's much bigger truck. I get tailgated and cut off...people come right into my lane like I'm not even there. I don't understand it. The driving here is awful and I try to avoid it unless I have to. It's just not worth the risk of my children's lives to go shopping at the outlets or eat downtown once in a while. We will hopefully soon move away when we are able! One less family to worry about crowding everything.

[pop251808]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

...with driverless cars...

Originally Posted by Aquitaine

...Especially with driverless cars...
Nothing to see here, folks.

Driverless cars!!?? Is that all you've got?

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by pop251808

Driverless cars!!?? Is that all you've got?

Lol, more substantive than anything you are saying .

[Aquitaine]

Yes. A total revolution of our transportation system is all I've got.

If you'd rather propose spending a billion dollars on trains to not solve the problem some more, be my guest.

[centralaustinite]

A total revolution of transportation system? Is that going to help speeding motorcyclists? Most likely without a helmet, a helmet law might have helped prevent 2 of 8 deaths, racing cars at 2:30 am caused another death, not much regulation (or bus or train or driverless car) would help that.

Three deaths were in the middle of the day in Bastrop county on busy but not overburdened roads, speed seems to be the key factor in those deaths, a ten billion in a comprehensive public transport system won't help them, one driving towards McDade hitting a car headed to Bastrop.

[orngkat]

I feel I'm in danger every time I drive here.

Been here a LONG time and I have never seen the kind of driving that is going on the past few years. It is crazy! I think a general lack of enforcement over the past few years has created a "drive however you like" atmosphere. That and a general disregard for other people for whatever reason. Drivers are going well over the speed limit on most roads because they know it no longer matters to law enforcement. Unfortunately, humans don't do well without rules and regs.

[verybadgnome]

I would like to see more enforcement. Just saw a stat from Austin's Vision Zero program that claimed that 34% of deaths in the area resulted from an unlicensed or suspended license driver. I would have a zero tolerance program where anyone caught driving without a license or insurance would pay a fine in addition to having their vehicle impounded on the spot.

http://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2016/02/30870/

In the long run humans will be taken out of the driving equation and with them the majority of the 95% of crashes due to human error. There needs to be work at the lege so that our laws can catch up with the technology.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

I would like to see more enforcement. Just saw a stat from Austin's Vision Zero program that claimed that 34% of deaths in the area resulted from an unlicensed or suspended license driver. I would have a zero tolerance program where anyone caught driving without a license or insurance would pay a fine in addition to having their vehicle impounded on the spot.

City proposes campaign to reduce traffic deaths - Austin MonitorAustin Monitor

In the long run humans will be taken out of the driving equation and with them the majority of the 95% of crashes due to human error. There needs to be work at the lege so that our laws can catch up with the technology.

Certainly driverless or driver assist technologies will help. But it will definitely be the _long_ run. All those drivers running around without insurance certainly won't be throwing down for a driverless car anytime soon.

And we've yet to see how a driverless fleet ages. Will a 20 year old clunker driverless car, with dirty sensors and no upkeep on it's actuators be any safer than a human?

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

I would like to see more enforcement. Just saw a stat from Austin's Vision Zero program that claimed that 34% of deaths in the area resulted from an unlicensed or suspended license driver.

Of course, this could be the 'Dilbert' scenario, when the pointy haired boss gets mad because 40% of the sick days mysteriously are used on Mondays and Fridays.... It looks like 21% of drivers are uninsured and about 7% have suspended licenses (mostly due to outstanding warrants). So maybe the 34% is above the 28%, but not sure on the local numbers. It isn't that big a difference, imho - the properly insured and licensed drivers look just about as likely to be in an accident as the uninsured/licensed.

Not that that isn't a problem, it just doesn't appear to be a main cause of accidents.