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> Traffic fatalities declined for the fifth straight quarter. About 19,515 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023, a decrease of about 3.3% compar

by verteu 3y ago

> Traffic fatalities declined for the fifth straight quarter. About 19,515 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023, a decrease of about 3.3% compared to 20,190 fatalities in the first half of 2022. I don't see much correspondence with: > In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, there were 503 air traffic control lapses that the F.A.A. preliminarily categorized as “significant,” 65 percent more than in the prior year, according to internal agency reports reviewed by The Times. During that period, air traffic increased about 4 percent. Especially since the NYT blames the latter on "A nationwide staffing shortage — caused by years of employee turnover and tight budgets, among other factors — has forced many controllers to work six-day weeks and 10-hour days."

screye 3y ago
Traffic fatalities decrease because cars are getting safer. But the number or accidents per capita might not be. Pedestrian deaths have certainly been on the rise. https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/Pedestrian%20Fatality%20Rate%20Increased%20Yet%20Again%20in%202022.jpg https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/...
- rplnt 3y ago
  Pedestrian deaths also increase because cars are getting bigger - reduced visibility, much more energy, and worse impact zones. Cities should really start to regulate what kind of cars under what conditions they let mix in with people.
  - Roark66 3y ago
    Sadly, we're going in the other direction. For example yesterday the capital city of Poland (Warsaw) decided, despite a lot of protests, to restrict "old cars" from entering a number of central districts. "Old cars" will mean diesels older that 18 years initially, 13 years later and petrol cars older than 20 years. The protesters proposed the rules are amended to block cars based on their emissions instead (which would allow most of the small old cars people still have, but it would block many modern SUVs). Of course the ruling faction (still enjoying majority support in Warsaw) decided otherwise. So much for the policy to be driven by "health concerns" and not car dealership lobby.
    - Angostura 3y ago
      Restricting diesels older than 18 years old is perfectly reasonable - the amount of PM 2.5 those things put out significantly contribute to childhood asthma etc. By comparison, London's ULEZ restricts diesels older than 2016. Of course there's no reason why vehicles couldn't be restricted both on CO2 AND PM 2.5 emissions, if you want to promote small, clean cars
- raffraffraff 3y ago
  People are driving spaceship-sized SUVs while using their phones, hitting pedestrians who are walking around looking at their phones, jumping out of the path of an oncoming 12yo doing 40kmh on a battery powered scooter while looking at porn on their phones and using Whatsapp to schedule a meet up with their Fastgas supplier. Their parents think that a scooter is a toy, the phone is so that they can call home, and the money was for lunch. Yeah, kinda half joking, in the sense that these 3 hypothetical people don't actually crash into each other every day, but they all exist. I see them every day. I've also seen a huge rise in cyclists on the footpath (sidewalk), and it's so normalized that I had a guy in his 50s zoom up behind me and the wife and actually tell us to get out of the way. To say that he got called all the things I could possibly call him is an understatement.
  - Roark66 3y ago
    How does a technical gas supplier factor into the life of today's teenagers? I'm genuinely curious. Is our hypothetical 12yo person learning tig welding on a side?
    - mschuster91 3y ago
      Same as sniffing glue... nitrogen aka N2O aka laughing gas.
    - strken 3y ago
      Nitrous oxide is a popular inhalant. It's reasonably safe despite the usual hysterical claims, and it's unregulated in most countries, possibly because regulating it would drive users towards more harmful inhalants like glue and petrol.
      - rowanG077 3y ago
        It's not safe at all. In my country there are many people who have destroyed their brains using it. I would say even drugs like cocaine are safer.
        3y ago

by verteu 3y ago

screye 3y ago

Traffic fatalities decrease because cars are getting safer. But the number or accidents per capita might not be. Pedestrian deaths have certainly been on the rise. https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/Pedestrian%20Fatality%20Rate%20Increased%20Yet%20Again%20in%202022.jpg https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/...

rplnt 3y ago
Pedestrian deaths also increase because cars are getting bigger - reduced visibility, much more energy, and worse impact zones. Cities should really start to regulate what kind of cars under what conditions they let mix in with people.
- Roark66 3y ago
  Sadly, we're going in the other direction. For example yesterday the capital city of Poland (Warsaw) decided, despite a lot of protests, to restrict "old cars" from entering a number of central districts. "Old cars" will mean diesels older that 18 years initially, 13 years later and petrol cars older than 20 years. The protesters proposed the rules are amended to block cars based on their emissions instead (which would allow most of the small old cars people still have, but it would block many modern SUVs). Of course the ruling faction (still enjoying majority support in Warsaw) decided otherwise. So much for the policy to be driven by "health concerns" and not car dealership lobby.
  - Angostura 3y ago
    Restricting diesels older than 18 years old is perfectly reasonable - the amount of PM 2.5 those things put out significantly contribute to childhood asthma etc. By comparison, London's ULEZ restricts diesels older than 2016. Of course there's no reason why vehicles couldn't be restricted both on CO2 AND PM 2.5 emissions, if you want to promote small, clean cars
raffraffraff 3y ago
People are driving spaceship-sized SUVs while using their phones, hitting pedestrians who are walking around looking at their phones, jumping out of the path of an oncoming 12yo doing 40kmh on a battery powered scooter while looking at porn on their phones and using Whatsapp to schedule a meet up with their Fastgas supplier. Their parents think that a scooter is a toy, the phone is so that they can call home, and the money was for lunch. Yeah, kinda half joking, in the sense that these 3 hypothetical people don't actually crash into each other every day, but they all exist. I see them every day. I've also seen a huge rise in cyclists on the footpath (sidewalk), and it's so normalized that I had a guy in his 50s zoom up behind me and the wife and actually tell us to get out of the way. To say that he got called all the things I could possibly call him is an understatement.
- Roark66 3y ago
  How does a technical gas supplier factor into the life of today's teenagers? I'm genuinely curious. Is our hypothetical 12yo person learning tig welding on a side?
  - mschuster91 3y ago
    Same as sniffing glue... nitrogen aka N2O aka laughing gas.
  - strken 3y ago
    Nitrous oxide is a popular inhalant. It's reasonably safe despite the usual hysterical claims, and it's unregulated in most countries, possibly because regulating it would drive users towards more harmful inhalants like glue and petrol.
    - rowanG077 3y ago
      It's not safe at all. In my country there are many people who have destroyed their brains using it. I would say even drugs like cocaine are safer.
      - 3y ago