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> Advocates hope self-driving cars can help reduce U.S. road deaths, which rose 7.7 percent in 2015, the highest annual jump since 1966. This was a news story

> Advocates hope self-driving cars can help reduce U.S. road deaths, which rose 7.7 percent in 2015, the highest annual jump since 1966. This was a news story in itself [1]. It was attributed to increased driving, encouraged by economic factors such as higher employment and lower gas prices. [1] http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/18/467230965/2015-traffic-fatalities-rose-by-largest-percent-in-50-years-safety-group-says http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/18/467230965/...

SilasX 9y ago
Yeah, it looks like deaths per mile has been on a steady decline: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_safety_in_the_United_States#/media/File:USA_annual_VMT_vs_deaths_per_VMT.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_safety_in_the_U...
- alxmdev 9y ago
  Not exactly a steady decline, quote from the NPR article linked above: In its own early estimates that were released late in 2015, NHTSA reported seeing a 3.5 percent rise in vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. But it also said the fatality rate — the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled — was rising at a slightly higher pace of 4.4 percent.
  - tonmoy 9y ago
    Maybe the average number of people riding the same vehicle has increased?
fuhrysteve 9y ago
> attributed to increased driving, encouraged by economic factors such as higher employment and lower gas prices Interesting - I always assumed that the increase in road deaths was at least largely due to increased cellphone usage, resulting in distracted drivers.
- ehnto 9y ago
  It's not to say that's not still the cause of many of them, just that with more people on the road more accidents can occur.
- russdill 9y ago
  Perhaps they've been offset by increased safety standards.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
danblick 9y ago
I wonder what fraction involved smartphones? https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/business/tech-distractions-blamed-for-rise-in-traffic-fatalities.html https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/business/tech-distract...
- steventhedev 9y ago
  Rather than speculate on anecdotes, perhaps we can focus on actual data[0]. 2014-2015 only saw a +280 change in fatalities caused by distractions (read: texting). Florida and Georgia combined saw a +190 drunk driving fatalities in the same period. EDIT: found a more specific report about electronic device usage: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812426 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/... [0]: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812318 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/...
Sylphine 9y ago
Which is fitting that nobody says how many deaths will result from starvation that results by being fired from UPS and FedEx
- nxc18 9y ago
  UPS has 400,000 employees. Autonomous driving would pay itself off very quickly even if one of uber's cars personally murdered every single UPS and FedEx employee. Of course, the issue at play isn't joblessness, but the lack of a safety net for when people lose their jobs. Still, in the u.s., very few people actually starve to death, even when unemployed. Perhaps lack of health care will kill them all. But was their health care that good to begin with? Perhaps an actual solution for root problems is the better route.
  - Sylphine 9y ago
    Staying with your parents isn't the idyllic life. I know from experience. /// Inb4 you want to held back technology. /// Technology's main focus should be improving peoples quality of living not maximizing profits and replacing employees with robots.
    - thanksgiving 9y ago
      I disagree. Technology should be focused with all things that reduce the need for human labor. What we need is what gp says: a decent social safety net. It cannot happen as long as we vote for people who want to reduce taxes.
    - csallen 9y ago
      Replacing employees is not the problem. In fact, it's a good thing. It frees people up to do more enjoyable things with their lives. The problem is that our economic system is unequipped to handle a world in which people aren't expected to work jobs "just because."
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]

SilasX 9y ago

Yeah, it looks like deaths per mile has been on a steady decline: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_safety_in_the_United_States#/media/File:USA_annual_VMT_vs_deaths_per_VMT.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_safety_in_the_U...

alxmdev 9y ago
Not exactly a steady decline, quote from the NPR article linked above: In its own early estimates that were released late in 2015, NHTSA reported seeing a 3.5 percent rise in vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. But it also said the fatality rate — the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled — was rising at a slightly higher pace of 4.4 percent.
- tonmoy 9y ago
  Maybe the average number of people riding the same vehicle has increased?

fuhrysteve 9y ago

> attributed to increased driving, encouraged by economic factors such as higher employment and lower gas prices Interesting - I always assumed that the increase in road deaths was at least largely due to increased cellphone usage, resulting in distracted drivers.

ehnto 9y ago
It's not to say that's not still the cause of many of them, just that with more people on the road more accidents can occur.
russdill 9y ago
Perhaps they've been offset by increased safety standards.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

danblick 9y ago

I wonder what fraction involved smartphones? https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/business/tech-distractions-blamed-for-rise-in-traffic-fatalities.html https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/business/tech-distract...

steventhedev 9y ago
Rather than speculate on anecdotes, perhaps we can focus on actual data[0]. 2014-2015 only saw a +280 change in fatalities caused by distractions (read: texting). Florida and Georgia combined saw a +190 drunk driving fatalities in the same period. EDIT: found a more specific report about electronic device usage: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812426 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/... [0]: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812318 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/...

Sylphine 9y ago

Which is fitting that nobody says how many deaths will result from starvation that results by being fired from UPS and FedEx

nxc18 9y ago
UPS has 400,000 employees. Autonomous driving would pay itself off very quickly even if one of uber's cars personally murdered every single UPS and FedEx employee. Of course, the issue at play isn't joblessness, but the lack of a safety net for when people lose their jobs. Still, in the u.s., very few people actually starve to death, even when unemployed. Perhaps lack of health care will kill them all. But was their health care that good to begin with? Perhaps an actual solution for root problems is the better route.
- Sylphine 9y ago
  Staying with your parents isn't the idyllic life. I know from experience. /// Inb4 you want to held back technology. /// Technology's main focus should be improving peoples quality of living not maximizing profits and replacing employees with robots.
  - thanksgiving 9y ago
    I disagree. Technology should be focused with all things that reduce the need for human labor. What we need is what gp says: a decent social safety net. It cannot happen as long as we vote for people who want to reduce taxes.
  - csallen 9y ago
    Replacing employees is not the problem. In fact, it's a good thing. It frees people up to do more enjoyable things with their lives. The problem is that our economic system is unequipped to handle a world in which people aren't expected to work jobs "just because."
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]