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I wholeheartedly support the idea of increasing the standards for driving skill, training and ability. I've heard in Norway/Sweden that you have to spend a larg

by tibbon 15y ago

I wholeheartedly support the idea of increasing the standards for driving skill, training and ability. I've heard in Norway/Sweden that you have to spend a large amount of time and money training specifically for night driving, snow driving, standard driving, etc. I know in most European countries getting a motorcycle license is far more difficult, expensive and restricting than in the US. Consequently, I bet they are more skilled drivers. I've been in the car with so many people in the US that say they know how to (and are licensed to) drive, but yet clearly don't know how to drive. They are unaware of the most basic mechanics of how the car actually moves. The terms oversteer and understeer are completely foreign to them. They probably don't even know if their vehicle is front or rear wheel drive. And of course most couldn't parallel park if the street was empty. Yet with the way we've architected America (huge and sprawling), everyone feels entitled and required to have a car. I moved to Ohio about a year ago, and apparently there's laws here that allow even 13 and 14 year olds to drive if no one else in the family can. I'm guessing in most countries the response wouldn't be to give a kid a license, but to say, "move to a city" or "here's some public transit". On the flip side, there are clearly many elderly that shouldn't be driving. Driving should be something you have to test for every few years, and that you're expected to always get better results on the test.

mattmanser 15y ago
What is your population density of the US compared to the UK for example? So how do you think that affects the average number of cars on the road that you will pass on your average commute? Do you think passing more cars increases or decreases your chance of death? Do you need more or less skill? How much of American towns, suburbs and cities were built before or after the introduction of cars? Were they designed to handle cars and not have really windy roads? Note that you said it, 'huge and sprawling'. Do you need to be taught snow driving, will there be snow on the road for 6 months a year? Is it more or less likely that you're going to be driving on a winding mountainous road or a big open freeway? You can't compare driving in different countries or even in different states in the US as the skill needed and problems are different.
- tibbon 15y ago
  These things are true, but its also mindful to remember that the US is a huge place and once you're licensed to drive you can go to any public road in any state. You can go to Maine, Minnesotta or somewhere that there is a large amount of snow for a long period of time. You can drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, or rip through canyons in the southwest. You can go to NYC, or stick to superslab/highway roads. Yet any 16 year old that shows they can drive around suburban streets and get 80% of the questions right on a test can go absolutely anywhere, and hold that license until they die or a court revokes it. An idea just popped in my head that perhaps roads (like ski trails) could have different difficulty color codes, and that you had to be licensed to drive on each type. This is likely too much complexity, but still a neat idea. Public transit I feel (and perhaps I'm wrong on this) actually was something that many cities had in the US and were planning before every 3 person family had 4 cars. Here in Columbus, Ohio, we used to have street cars going up and down some of our main streets. At some point in the 60's or 70's they removed all of those in favor of lowering costs and making more room for cars. Its been through poor planning and assumption that they'll have an infinite supply of cheap petrol that we've gotten here. We started most of the cities pre-car, but once cars hit, we somehow thought the suburbs were a good idea and that everyone should be able to travel anywhere in a short period of time on their own.
  - mattmanser 15y ago
    Yes, I agree on the travel anywhere thing. I actually don't have a car now, but it does come at a cost in terms of freedom.

by tibbon 15y ago

mattmanser 15y ago

What is your population density of the US compared to the UK for example? So how do you think that affects the average number of cars on the road that you will pass on your average commute? Do you think passing more cars increases or decreases your chance of death? Do you need more or less skill? How much of American towns, suburbs and cities were built before or after the introduction of cars? Were they designed to handle cars and not have really windy roads? Note that you said it, 'huge and sprawling'. Do you need to be taught snow driving, will there be snow on the road for 6 months a year? Is it more or less likely that you're going to be driving on a winding mountainous road or a big open freeway? You can't compare driving in different countries or even in different states in the US as the skill needed and problems are different.

tibbon 15y ago
These things are true, but its also mindful to remember that the US is a huge place and once you're licensed to drive you can go to any public road in any state. You can go to Maine, Minnesotta or somewhere that there is a large amount of snow for a long period of time. You can drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, or rip through canyons in the southwest. You can go to NYC, or stick to superslab/highway roads. Yet any 16 year old that shows they can drive around suburban streets and get 80% of the questions right on a test can go absolutely anywhere, and hold that license until they die or a court revokes it. An idea just popped in my head that perhaps roads (like ski trails) could have different difficulty color codes, and that you had to be licensed to drive on each type. This is likely too much complexity, but still a neat idea. Public transit I feel (and perhaps I'm wrong on this) actually was something that many cities had in the US and were planning before every 3 person family had 4 cars. Here in Columbus, Ohio, we used to have street cars going up and down some of our main streets. At some point in the 60's or 70's they removed all of those in favor of lowering costs and making more room for cars. Its been through poor planning and assumption that they'll have an infinite supply of cheap petrol that we've gotten here. We started most of the cities pre-car, but once cars hit, we somehow thought the suburbs were a good idea and that everyone should be able to travel anywhere in a short period of time on their own.
- mattmanser 15y ago
  Yes, I agree on the travel anywhere thing. I actually don't have a car now, but it does come at a cost in terms of freedom.