3 ms·

Are these kinds of lane-dividers not painted with heavy yellow diagonal stripes in the US? Is the divider equipped with reflective material and/or lights to ma

Are these kinds of lane-dividers not painted with heavy yellow diagonal stripes in the US? Is the divider equipped with reflective material and/or lights to make sure drivers notice it? Is the divider actually necessary, or could it be replaced with gravel so people don't need to hit a concrete wall when they make a mistake? I don't think a road like this would be possible in most of the EU. Autopilot needs to be fixed, but this road is also super dangerous and probably would not be allowed in the EU. How often do non-autopilot cars fatally crash here? This does look like a bit of death trap to me!

jacquesm 8y ago
> I don't think a road like this would be possible in most of the EU. I've driven in almost all countries in the union and I'm sure that and worse is readily available in multiple EU countries. While it's true that the EU subsidizes a lot of road construction local conditions (materials quality, theft, sloppy contractors) have a huge impact on road and markings quality.
- metafunctor 8y ago
  Hmm, "possible" was probably too strong of a word. Of course it's possible. However, I've driven a significant number of hours in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and I wouldn't say that this kind of concrete divider is "readily available" as a normal part of a high-speed road, lacking the high-visibility markings I outlined in the post above, year after year as a normal fixture. In fact, I don't remember ever once seeing a concrete divider like this in the EU, even temporarily, but please prove me wrong (and maybe we can tell them to fix it!). At highway speeds, lane dividers are only used when there is a lane traveling in the opposing direction right next to you. There is no point in concrete dividers if all the traffic is traveling in the same direction. At highway speeds, opposing lanes should be divided by a lot of open space and metal fences that don't kill you when you hit them.
  - jacquesm 8y ago
    Try: Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia, Slowakia, Czech Republic. Those are also part of the EU and road quality there varies wildly from the countries you use as your examples.
btilly 8y ago
How often do non-autopilot cars fatally crash here? This does look like a bit of death trap to me! A non-autopilot car crashed at this exact spot a week earlier. This crumpled a barrier that is intended to cushion cars going off the road here, and contributed to the death of the Tesla driver. The fact that a human crashed at this exact spot confirms that it really is an unsafe death trap.

jacquesm 8y ago

> I don't think a road like this would be possible in most of the EU. I've driven in almost all countries in the union and I'm sure that and worse is readily available in multiple EU countries. While it's true that the EU subsidizes a lot of road construction local conditions (materials quality, theft, sloppy contractors) have a huge impact on road and markings quality.

metafunctor 8y ago
Hmm, "possible" was probably too strong of a word. Of course it's possible. However, I've driven a significant number of hours in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and I wouldn't say that this kind of concrete divider is "readily available" as a normal part of a high-speed road, lacking the high-visibility markings I outlined in the post above, year after year as a normal fixture. In fact, I don't remember ever once seeing a concrete divider like this in the EU, even temporarily, but please prove me wrong (and maybe we can tell them to fix it!). At highway speeds, lane dividers are only used when there is a lane traveling in the opposing direction right next to you. There is no point in concrete dividers if all the traffic is traveling in the same direction. At highway speeds, opposing lanes should be divided by a lot of open space and metal fences that don't kill you when you hit them.
- jacquesm 8y ago
  Try: Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia, Slowakia, Czech Republic. Those are also part of the EU and road quality there varies wildly from the countries you use as your examples.

btilly 8y ago

How often do non-autopilot cars fatally crash here? This does look like a bit of death trap to me! A non-autopilot car crashed at this exact spot a week earlier. This crumpled a barrier that is intended to cushion cars going off the road here, and contributed to the death of the Tesla driver. The fact that a human crashed at this exact spot confirms that it really is an unsafe death trap.