4 ms·
> In the UK, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Austria and Iceland, for example, pedestrian deaths occur at a per capita rate roughly half of America’s, or lower
by yardie 7y ago
> In the UK, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Austria and Iceland, for example, pedestrian deaths occur at a per capita rate roughly half of America’s, or lower. Are we really to believe that the citizens of these countries are 50% less susceptible than Americans to distraction
It's a hell of a lot harder to get a license in those countries than in the US. And if you hit a pedestrian in those countries it is assumed you are at fault. Unlike the US, where it is assumed the pedestrian must have done something irrational, like cross a street, and the driver is innocent as snow.
Collectively, Americans are terrible drivers, so the reasons compound. Whether it's fatigue, phones, makeup, food, drinking, or poor judgement we feel safe in our cars and fuck anyone else.
- tim333 7y agoAs a Brit, I'd say a lot of the difference is road engineering. We tend to have windy roads and roundabouts that slow things are less prone to fatalities. Wikipedia says that in 2008 we were one of the best in the world for that but have been overtaken by Holland and Sweden. Also that we could drop deaths 30% more by fixing stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_in_the_United_Kingdom#Road_traffic_safety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_in_the_United_Kingdom#Ro...
- Enginerrrd 7y agoThis! Things like minimum street and shoulder widths are totally different between the UK and US and they dramatically impact driver behavior. I'm an engineer in the US for the record.