4 ms·

But now this fucking "right to drive" thing is actually becoming a fucking reality. 1.25 million people die per year from auto accidents in the world with as m

by 300bps 7y ago

But now this fucking "right to drive" thing is actually becoming a fucking reality. 1.25 million people die per year from auto accidents in the world with as many as 20-50 million additional people injured or disabled. Source: https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/ https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/ The average car utilization is less than 4.5%. For over 95% of the time, most cars are just sitting there doing nothing. Source: https://www.reinventingparking.org/2013/02/cars-are-parked-95-of-time-lets-check.html https://www.reinventingparking.org/2013/02/cars-are-parked-9... Cars are the second largest expense for most people with the cost of the car, cost of maintenance, registration, insurance, parking, etc. coming only behind their residence in terms of cost. Manually driven cars are a wasteful luxury that kill over a million people per year. I can't wait until they go away.

btrettel 7y ago
> The average car utilization is less than 4.5%. For over 95% of the time, most cars are just sitting there doing nothing. This is roughly true of bikes as well, but I've never seen it used as an argument against cycling. There is one important difference: Bikes are much smaller than cars so they take up less space when parked. But I haven't seen that mentioned in this context. I am a cyclist for what it's worth.
- bryanlarsen 7y ago
  Bikes aren't allowed on freeways, so there are similar restrictions on cyclists.
- dheera 7y ago
  I'm a bike commuter too, but I stay on dedicated bike paths whenever possible, which is about 90% of my commute. I don't have a way of measuring it, but my intuition says that my chance of death while cycling on a dedicated bike path is much less than if I were driving a car on the road. I do realize I'm pretty lucky to be in that situation, but for safety reasons I'm a big fan of generally having more dedicated bike paths or at least barrier-separated bike lanes around town. In a lot of Asian and European cities it is pretty standard and it massively improves safety.
sevensor 7y ago
Like the sibling comment, I'm a frequent bicycle commuter. I have deep reservations about car culture. But I'm strongly in favor of continuing to allow manual operation for motor vehicles. My fear is that, in a fully self-driving world, cyclists will be banned from city streets or forced to carry transponders "for our own safety". This shrinks your individual autonomy to "places you can walk safely" and places way too much faith in automated systems.
- btrettel 7y ago
  To be honest, I'd buy a transponder if it meant self-driving cars couldn't hit me as a cyclist. I'd strongly oppose transponder requirements and cycling bans. My impression from self-driving car advocates is that they are okay with cycling, e.g., see here: https://www.sharedmobilityprinciples.org/ https://www.sharedmobilityprinciples.org/ > Cities shall prioritize walking, cycling, public transport and other efficient shared mobility

by 300bps 7y ago

btrettel 7y ago

> The average car utilization is less than 4.5%. For over 95% of the time, most cars are just sitting there doing nothing. This is roughly true of bikes as well, but I've never seen it used as an argument against cycling. There is one important difference: Bikes are much smaller than cars so they take up less space when parked. But I haven't seen that mentioned in this context. I am a cyclist for what it's worth.

bryanlarsen 7y ago
Bikes aren't allowed on freeways, so there are similar restrictions on cyclists.
dheera 7y ago
I'm a bike commuter too, but I stay on dedicated bike paths whenever possible, which is about 90% of my commute. I don't have a way of measuring it, but my intuition says that my chance of death while cycling on a dedicated bike path is much less than if I were driving a car on the road. I do realize I'm pretty lucky to be in that situation, but for safety reasons I'm a big fan of generally having more dedicated bike paths or at least barrier-separated bike lanes around town. In a lot of Asian and European cities it is pretty standard and it massively improves safety.

sevensor 7y ago

Like the sibling comment, I'm a frequent bicycle commuter. I have deep reservations about car culture. But I'm strongly in favor of continuing to allow manual operation for motor vehicles. My fear is that, in a fully self-driving world, cyclists will be banned from city streets or forced to carry transponders "for our own safety". This shrinks your individual autonomy to "places you can walk safely" and places way too much faith in automated systems.

btrettel 7y ago
To be honest, I'd buy a transponder if it meant self-driving cars couldn't hit me as a cyclist. I'd strongly oppose transponder requirements and cycling bans. My impression from self-driving car advocates is that they are okay with cycling, e.g., see here: https://www.sharedmobilityprinciples.org/ https://www.sharedmobilityprinciples.org/ > Cities shall prioritize walking, cycling, public transport and other efficient shared mobility