6 ms·

> We are hardly living in a golden age of safety for kids—during the pandemic, there was a spike in crime, especially gun violence. But a big part of why gun vi

> We are hardly living in a golden age of safety for kids—during the pandemic, there was a spike in crime, especially gun violence. But a big part of why gun violence became the biggest cause of deaths of people under 18 is partially because they were a lot less likely to die from other causes, notably motor vehicle accidents: Well, that’s an excellent point. Our cars have become so good at crumpling to protect us that the old crash test videos that leaked to tv news in the 90s seem archaic by comparison. I remember many of them showed the dummies falling out of the cars when they slammed into a wall and shocked everyone. My father took me to a junkyard to see all the windshields that people had smashed into to emphasize why I should wear a seatbelt. Now the car will basically sacrifice itself to absorb the shock as much as possible. Plus airbags are everywhere and rearview cameras are in all new cars. I frequently think about how these days you can get shot anywhere in the USA. It was nice being reminded that I have very little fear of dying in an auto crash. And though many people drunk drive every day, societal tolerance for it is at an all time low.

Vinnl 2y ago
Unfortunately in recent years, and particularly in the US, cars have been getting more dangerous again - especially to those not in the car.
- kcplate 2y ago
  Efforts to save lives within the vehicle even at a minor increased cost of lives outside the vehicle still nets many more lives saved. The problem isn’t that the vehicles are getting more dangerous to pedestrians, it’s the poor safety engineering around where vehicles and pedestrians are likely to encounter one another, particularly at higher speeds.
  - Vinnl 2y ago
    I'm definitely (and primarily) all for safer infrastructure (and am happy to live in a place where that is a priority and politically feasible). That said, it's not always a trade-off between safety inside and outside the vehicle. Some recent vehicle trends are just dangerous for people outside the vehicle, and that's a shame.
sillywalk 2y ago
I was surprised to learn that seat-belt usage took so long to take on. Only 90% in 2019. It's not like it's some horrible burden to do. > I remember many of them showed the dummies falling out of the cars when they slammed into a wall and shocked everyone. This reminds me of a short Simpsons bit from the 90s about crash-test dummies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWnPvsurPvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWnPvsurPvI
- xnx 2y ago
  People were also pretty annoyed that they wouldn't be allowed to drink while driving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ Edit: fixed typo
  - throw0101a 2y ago
    > People were also pretty annoyed that they would be allowed to drink while driving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ Correction: "…they would not be allowed to drink while…"
    - alsetmusic 2y ago
      “Pretty soon we’re gonna be a communist country.” That’s how much propaganda we get in the USA.
- potato3732842 2y ago
  Several generations grew up without the habit of using seat belts. It shouldn't be surprising that they didn't really ever start using them.
- gwbas1c 2y ago
  > I was surprised to learn that seat-belt usage took so long to take on. Look up the automatic seat belt fad from the 80s and 90s. To make a long story short, there's a reason why they fell out of favor; you still had to manually put on your lap belt, and a lot of people who normally would wear their seat belt correctly didn't realize they had to wear a lap belt. Also, no one wears seat belts in India. When a car came to pick me up, there was no seat belt in the rear seat. The driver had tucked them under the seat, so I made him pull them back out. As we drove along a semi-freeway, the center divider was giant potted plants instead of a guard rail. Good luck if you happen to drift into one of those without a seat belt.
throw0101a 2y ago
> Now the car will basically sacrifice itself to absorb the shock as much as possible. Plus airbags are everywhere and rearview cameras are in all new cars. And what of the safety of the people outside of the cars? Morning Brew had an amusing short/skit, "Big car safe…?": * https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DEd1HXrX6-4 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DEd1HXrX6-4

Vinnl 2y ago

Unfortunately in recent years, and particularly in the US, cars have been getting more dangerous again - especially to those not in the car.

kcplate 2y ago
Efforts to save lives within the vehicle even at a minor increased cost of lives outside the vehicle still nets many more lives saved. The problem isn’t that the vehicles are getting more dangerous to pedestrians, it’s the poor safety engineering around where vehicles and pedestrians are likely to encounter one another, particularly at higher speeds.
- Vinnl 2y ago
  I'm definitely (and primarily) all for safer infrastructure (and am happy to live in a place where that is a priority and politically feasible). That said, it's not always a trade-off between safety inside and outside the vehicle. Some recent vehicle trends are just dangerous for people outside the vehicle, and that's a shame.

sillywalk 2y ago

I was surprised to learn that seat-belt usage took so long to take on. Only 90% in 2019. It's not like it's some horrible burden to do. > I remember many of them showed the dummies falling out of the cars when they slammed into a wall and shocked everyone. This reminds me of a short Simpsons bit from the 90s about crash-test dummies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWnPvsurPvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWnPvsurPvI

xnx 2y ago
People were also pretty annoyed that they wouldn't be allowed to drink while driving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ Edit: fixed typo
- throw0101a 2y ago
  > People were also pretty annoyed that they would be allowed to drink while driving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcQIoh3FQQ Correction: "…they would not be allowed to drink while…"
  - alsetmusic 2y ago
    “Pretty soon we’re gonna be a communist country.” That’s how much propaganda we get in the USA.
potato3732842 2y ago
Several generations grew up without the habit of using seat belts. It shouldn't be surprising that they didn't really ever start using them.
gwbas1c 2y ago
> I was surprised to learn that seat-belt usage took so long to take on. Look up the automatic seat belt fad from the 80s and 90s. To make a long story short, there's a reason why they fell out of favor; you still had to manually put on your lap belt, and a lot of people who normally would wear their seat belt correctly didn't realize they had to wear a lap belt. Also, no one wears seat belts in India. When a car came to pick me up, there was no seat belt in the rear seat. The driver had tucked them under the seat, so I made him pull them back out. As we drove along a semi-freeway, the center divider was giant potted plants instead of a guard rail. Good luck if you happen to drift into one of those without a seat belt.

throw0101a 2y ago

> Now the car will basically sacrifice itself to absorb the shock as much as possible. Plus airbags are everywhere and rearview cameras are in all new cars. And what of the safety of the people outside of the cars? Morning Brew had an amusing short/skit, "Big car safe…?": * https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DEd1HXrX6-4 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DEd1HXrX6-4