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>More importantly, since the year 2000 Americans have driven ~60 trillion miles!!! ..so what? That's still over half a million people dead. Here, let me put i

>More importantly, since the year 2000 Americans have driven ~60 trillion miles!!! ..so what? That's still over half a million people dead. Here, let me put it in a slightly different light: Critical lack of infrastructure (including public transportation) and horrific zoning that causes ever-increasing amounts of urban sprawl has forced Americans drive an astounding 60 trillion miles since year 2000, killing over half a million of them. From what I know, most of these miles were not driven by choice: people don't choose to work 100 miles away from where they live; and most of these miles are commute miles. Our infrastructure (or lack thereof) is killing us by making us drive more than anywhere else on Earth[1]. (The verbatim title of that article is: "Americans drive more than anyone else in the world, and are dying for it" - and that is what the problem is). [1]https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/americans-drive-more-dying/ https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/americans-drive-more-dy...

austhrow743 7y ago
>..so what? That's still over half a million people dead. ..so what? Everyone dies. The whole reason traffic deaths or war deaths or any other figure that gets worried about is a concern isn't that people die at all. It's that they died earlier than they otherwise would have. They missed out on life they would have otherwise got to live. So talking about what the living get from that increased chance of early death is clearly relevant to the discussion.
- benrbray 7y ago
  I think you have a valid point--new technology like roads and cars will always come with some risk. Whether or not we use the technology depends on how comfortable we are with the risk. However, I think there is a lot of evidence (including death statistics) that cars are not worth the risk, compared to alternatives like trains, biking, and walking. Cars and infrastructure to support cars is detrimental to our health, economy, and society in ways that will take decades to correct.

austhrow743 7y ago

>..so what? That's still over half a million people dead. ..so what? Everyone dies. The whole reason traffic deaths or war deaths or any other figure that gets worried about is a concern isn't that people die at all. It's that they died earlier than they otherwise would have. They missed out on life they would have otherwise got to live. So talking about what the living get from that increased chance of early death is clearly relevant to the discussion.

benrbray 7y ago
I think you have a valid point--new technology like roads and cars will always come with some risk. Whether or not we use the technology depends on how comfortable we are with the risk. However, I think there is a lot of evidence (including death statistics) that cars are not worth the risk, compared to alternatives like trains, biking, and walking. Cars and infrastructure to support cars is detrimental to our health, economy, and society in ways that will take decades to correct.