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Getting it added to the driver's license test is probably the key here.

• Houshalter 10y ago
  It would take decades for new drivers learning this technique to fully replace the current driving population. And I suspect most people wouldn't keep up the habit anyway.
  • UnoriginalGuy 10y ago
    I hate that argument; effectively it boils down to "it is hard, so why try anything at all?" Even if it took thirty years and even if it was only ten percent effective, what is the negatives to this plan? One more minor skill to driving? One more bullet in the driving code?
    • Houshalter 10y ago
      Because by the time this plan actually works, humans won't even be driving cars anymore. And as I said I would be very surprised if it actually did work, given how quickly people lose the habits they are taught in driver's ed (how many people keep 4 seconds of distance, wear their seatbelt, never speed, adjust their mirrors correctly, look both ways for trains, etc.)
      • UnoriginalGuy 10y ago
        > Because by the time this plan actually works, humans won't even be driving cars anymore. They'll still be opening doors and riding bikes however. > how many people keep 4 seconds of distance, wear their seatbelt, never speed, adjust their mirrors correctly, look both ways for trains, etc. Most people? Well except for the speed one. But the vast majority of people wear their seatbelts, give a safe travelling distance (although people are terrible at judging it), and are careful at railroad crossings.
        • piotrkaminski 10y ago
          > They'll still be opening doors and riding bikes however. Will they? I'd expect an autonomous car's doors to be under its control unless the passenger declares an emergency (which would be a Big Deal, call the police, etc.). Also, once autonomous cars are plentiful and transportation is dirt cheap, how many people will still be riding bikes in congested areas?
          • nixos 10y ago
            >Also, once autonomous cars are plentiful and transportation is dirt cheap Why do you think it's going to be dirt cheap? I expect it's going to be half of an Uber ride, but not much less.
            • piotrkaminski 10y ago
              I expect that cities will heavily subsidize it, to bring it down to about the level of public transport (but far more convenient). I'll admit it's just guessing at a very nebulous future, though.
            • Houshalter 10y ago
              Because the main cost of an uber is the driver's wage, so I think it could be much less than half. Then if you share the car with multiple riders per trip, that could lower the cost much further (at the expense of slightly longer trips.)
      • hx87 10y ago
        Even if the benefits are small, the costs are...what, exactly?
    • stephenr 10y ago
      It's the exact reason the US still doesn't use the metric system. The Homer Simpson of excuses, if you will: "Trying is the first step to failure"
• cortesoft 10y ago
  Using your blinker is a requirement in the driver's license test, too. So is driving with your hands 10-2, coming to a complete stop at all stop signs, and driving the speed limit. I don't think adding something to a driver's test is going to change much.
  • saulrh 10y ago
    Say we removed turn signals or rear-view mirrors from the test; how often do you think they'd be used then?
  • deleted 10y ago
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  • anarazel 10y ago
    Coming from Germany to the US, I'm very regularly confused and annoyed how few drivers here use signals in a meaningful way. If used at all, it's halfway through the turn.
    • deleted 10y ago
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  • Cthulhu_ 10y ago
    Driving is all about forming habits; using blinkers, shifting, using mirrors, putting on the seatbelt. Adding a habit on how to open a door will help.
• umanwizard 10y ago
  In the US being able to drive is culturally considered a human right. I think that's part of why standards for driving exams or so risibly low compared to Europe.
  • justinlardinois 10y ago
    This is in part because much of the US is almost impossible to get around without a car.
  • hx87 10y ago
    You would think it would be the opposite though--if driving were such an essential portion of our live, we would put much more practice and attention to it, not less.