Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on March 10, 2014 at 12:03pm

Used to be 40,000 a year through 2008.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 10, 2014 at 12:07pm

That's a HUGE drop, that's great.

Mike Schwab said:

Used to be 40,000 a year through 2008.

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Permalink Reply by Bike Bloke on March 10, 2014 at 2:43pm

I suspect the drop in US road deaths is largely down to safety features for people in automobiles - airbags and the like. Such safety features are of no use to cyclists and pedestrians who, I suspect, may be further endangered by drivers reducing safety margins because of their own enhanced safety. 

These days I live in Houston, TX and in the city at least, most drivers are surprisingly aware and courteous. However, the worst and most dangerous drivers almost all drive those big pick-ups they advertise during football games (oooh, so manly!), or large SUVs.

Julie Hochstadter said:

That's a HUGE drop, that's great.

Mike Schwab said:

Used to be 40,000 a year through 2008.

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Permalink Reply by Reboot Oxnard on March 11, 2014 at 12:41am

Yet, were someone to say that people buying bikes are oooh, so girly, you'd have your panties in a twist. Even if the stereotypes were true, didn't you get the memo that assailing people's sexual orientation is so...nineties?

Bike Bloke said:

However, the worst and most dangerous drivers almost all drive those big pick-ups they advertise during football games (oooh, so manly!), or large SUVs.

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Permalink Reply by DanGer 8.2mi on March 11, 2014 at 3:19am

Self driving cars. That is the answer. They knew it from the start. 

h' 1.0 said:

34,000 in 2012. Not quite cause to celebrate.  The biggest drop was when the economy tanked and a lot of people had no jobs to drive to.  I'm missing where the 30,000 figure comes from.

Julie Hochstadter said:

That's a HUGE drop, that's great.

Mike Schwab said:

Used to be 40,000 a year through 2008.

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Permalink Reply by Anne on March 11, 2014 at 5:49am

Thank you for that link, Jaik, excellent reading. A really cool website all together!

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Permalink Reply by Robert Underwood on March 26, 2014 at 10:31am

What is worse, to stereotype SUV drivers as manly, or to stereotype them as a danger to cyclists?   Stereotyping is offensive when we judge someone without actually knowing them.  to say that people were assailed during the nineties is also a stereotype, its just that the "nineties" won't feel pain due to a false accusation.  I'm not even sure of the exact definition of "stereotype", and I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment.  I would say that most taxi drivers treat me with a great deal of respect and courtesy.  But its ok to stereotype when saying something nice.  oops, that was sarcasm.
 
Reboot Oxnard said:

Yet, were someone to say that people buying bikes are oooh, so girly, you'd have your panties in a twist. Even if the stereotypes were true, didn't you get the memo that assailing people's sexual orientation is so...nineties?

Bike Bloke said:

However, the worst and most dangerous drivers almost all drive those big pick-ups they advertise during football games (oooh, so manly!), or large SUVs.

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on March 26, 2014 at 4:50pm

It's more likely to do with the drop in per capita miles driven since that's been going down far more than vehicle safety technology has gone up since 2008. This is of good use to cyclists and pedestrians. 

Bike Bloke said:

I suspect the drop in US road deaths is largely down to safety features for people in automobiles - airbags and the like. Such safety features are of no use to cyclists and pedestrians who, I suspect, may be further endangered by drivers reducing safety margins because of their own enhanced safety. 

These days I live in Houston, TX and in the city at least, most drivers are surprisingly aware and courteous. However, the worst and most dangerous drivers almost all drive those big pick-ups they advertise during football games (oooh, so manly!), or large SUVs.

Julie Hochstadter said:

That's a HUGE drop, that's great.

Mike Schwab said:

Used to be 40,000 a year through 2008.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on March 27, 2014 at 4:14am

There are fewer fatalities because there are fewer miles driven. I'd have guessed that's due to the effects of our recession and rising gasoline prices, but the price of gas doesn't correlate.

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on March 27, 2014 at 7:32am

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Permalink Reply by Kris Hendry on March 27, 2014 at 3:30pm

Surprisingly, I find taxi drivers fairly courteous when I bike. I am a bit intimidated by the police and fire trucks that speed by. Granted there is a emergency and I've been told the firehouse on Wilson is one of the busiest in the city. I find the big white work truck vans to drive extremely dangerously. I guess I have to expect that is "life in the big city" though.

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