Traffic fatalities up 9 percent - texting and social media partly to blame (1 Viewer)

superchuck500

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I think I'm willing to chalk it up to bad fortune if I lost a loved-one in a fatal traffic accident where something unusual broke on a car or if road conditions changed suddenly, or someting like that. But if I lost a loved-one because the driver was on Facebook, I can't imagine the rage that would come from that.

It needs to be treated like DUI. And we have technology that makes phones useless by the driver (except through hands-free, voice activation). Akin to the Uber conversation, do you think this problem needs to be addressed through law and regulation?

New data from the National Safety Council found approximately 19,100 people were killed in crashes on U.S. roads during the first six months of the year, a 9 percent increase over the same period in 2015. That represents an 18 percent rise compared with the first six months of 2014.

The organization blames the increase on a combination of factors, including a stronger economy and lower gas prices, which cause people to drive more miles. There is also an alarming number of teenage drivers who are willing to use social media behind the wheel, the council found.

Because of these factors, the busy Labor Day weekend will likely be the deadliest on American roads since 2009, said Deborah Hersman, CEO of the National Safety Council.
"We cannot keep accepting these highway fatalities," Hersman said. "It would be the equivalent of two major plane crashes happening every week. Our hair would be on fire [if that happened]. We wouldn't accept that. Why do we accept it on highways?"

In a survey of more than 1,000 newly licensed drivers between the ages of 15 and 17, 35 percent said they would use social media when behind the wheel. Additionally, 21 percent admitted they would video chat and drive at the same time. Roughly 43 percent said they're willing to text and drive.

Traffic fatalities on the rise as Americans drive more miles, text behind the wheel
 
I think I'm willing to chalk it up to bad fortune if I lost a loved-one in a fatal traffic accident where something unusual broke on a car or if road conditions changed suddenly, or someting like that. But if I lost a loved-one because the driver was on Facebook, I can't imagine the rage that would come from that.

It needs to be treated like DUI. And we have technology that makes phones useless by the driver (except through hands-free, voice activation). Akin to the Uber conversation, do you think this problem needs to be addressed through law and regulation?



Traffic fatalities on the rise as Americans drive more miles, text behind the wheel

100% agree it should be treated like dui by the law and society as a whole.

People should be shamed for it.

Police should actively pursue people seen using their phone while driving and people should lose driving privileges over it.

It's every bit as irresponsible as DUI.
 
Dude swerved into my lane texting and driving this morning. He was holding phone up at head level...I guess he thought that might help. SMH
 
The real solution is to remove drivers from cars as fast as possible.
 
Hmmmm. Automobiles are more dangerous than firearms? Who knew?

Yea people should be required to have a license to use one and carry insurance in case it causes harm to others.., wait ..
 
Hmmmm. Automobiles are more dangerous than firearms? Who knew?


Not sure how you define "more dangerous" but if you're asking who knew that more people died every year in car crashes than by firearms, the answer is everyone.

I don't think raw numbers qualify the comparison to be more dangerous. You would need to standardize the comparison. Something along the lines of hours driven by Americans in cars divided by the number of car deaths . . . then compare with number of hours with firearms actively carried by Americans divided by the number of firearm deaths.

And based on the raw data, (about 38K deaths by cars and 13K deaths by firearms in 2015), for it to even be close, you would have to have one out of three Americans that rides in cars also actively carries a firearm. Of course, it's nowhere near that.
 
The real solution is to remove drivers from cars as fast as possible.


I think you're right but it isn't going to be happening anytime soon. Could easily be a decade before it becomes commonplace . . . then you will have to grandfather-out driven vehicles.

It's going to be a long transition.
 
Yea people should be required to have a license to use one and carry insurance in case it causes harm to others.., wait ..

1. There is no constitutionally protected right to own or drive a car.

2. Inanimate objects are not dangerous nor do they cause harm to others. Only intentional or negligent operation of an inanimate object can cause harm.
 
1. There is no constitutionally protected right to own or drive a car.

2. Inanimate objects are not dangerous nor do they cause harm to others. Only intentional or negligent operation of an inanimate object can cause harm.


I get point #1, and it's meaningful. I don't get point #2 in the context of the response. Can you clarify?
 
1. There is no constitutionally protected right to own or drive a car.

2. Inanimate objects are not dangerous nor do they cause harm to others. Only intentional or negligent operation of an inanimate object can cause harm.

This thread is about texting and driving.

I was mocking your response in my previous reply to your off topic post.
 
Maybe we should start background checks on anyone attempting to buy a vehicle?

Boom!

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