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France, specifically, has one of the highest rates of traffic fatalities in Europe. Roughly 3500 people die every year on their roads. If those cultural norms r
by ameister14 9y ago
France, specifically, has one of the highest rates of traffic fatalities in Europe. Roughly 3500 people die every year on their roads. If those cultural norms resulted in safer traffic, I'd be all for giving them precedence - they don't, though. So now you have to weigh the value of cultural norms around driving style vs. people's lives.
- Spivak 9y agoFirst 3500 is the total amount. You need the number of deaths that were caused by local trafic rules and could have been prevented by strict adherence to traffic laws. You'll be lucky if 5% of those meet that criteria. You also have to weigh the lives against the value of the time saved -- the whole reason those norms exist. There's no way it comes out in favor of the deaths. Let's try and ballpark whether it's worth it to speed 5km. Roughly 410 billion miles driven yearly by the French. The average speed of a journey in France is ballpark 60km/hr Average salary is 36k in France with a 1450 work hours a year for €25/hr. Putting it all together we get €0.42/km or €170B. Now suppose that everyone always drives 5km over the limit bringing that average to roughly 65km/hr or €.38/km or €156B for a ballpark €14B in savings. Say you can save 10% of those deaths by driving the speed limit which is extremely generous. I would take odds that not even 1% of the deaths could be traced to speeding 5km over but let's pretend. Even then each life saved still costs €400M. Is it worth it?
- ameister14 9y agoIf that were what caused it, maybe - do Germans drive slower than the French?