What causes traffic accidents?

[vraiblonde]

Is it the roads or, as I suspect, people just drive like #### and don't pay attention?

Just this afternoon some crazy woman tried to delay my trip because (surprise surprise) she was absorbed in her cell phone conversation and not paying attention to her driving. Fortunately I do not talk or text while driving, so I saw her in enough time to avoid her so she could go on her way completely oblivious to the fact that she almost caused a problem. And if you ask her, she'll almost certainly say she can talk on the phone and drive just fine, because she seemed unaware that I was already in the space she wanted to occupy.

I'm telling you, people: you do not drive "just fine" when you are texting or talking. You just aren't aware of the mayhem you're causing because your attention is elsewhere.

 

[RoseRed]

Deer.

 

[Graymatter]

Like

 

[glhs837]

And I say your blanket statement isn't valid. True, many people check out mentally when talking, moreso on the phone, and even moreso when holding a phone. But that doesn't mean that nobody can converse and drive safely. We agree that not paying attention, for whatever reason, is what causes most crashes. But safely communicating while driving is simply a matter to task management. Being willing to let that conversation slide more into the background when more urgent things are happening is the key, and never giving it more attention than driving.

 

[PsyOps]

And I say your blanket statement isn't valid. True, many people check out mentally when talking, moreso on the phone, and even moreso when holding a phone. But that doesn't mean that nobody can converse and drive safely. We agree that not paying attention, for whatever reason, is what causes most crashes. But safely communicating while driving is simply a matter to task management. Being willing to let that conversation slide more into the background when more urgent things are happening is the key, and never giving it more attention than driving.

Then I will say that the 99% that don’t know how to drive and text at the same time are ruining things for you. There’s only one thing you should be doing while driving… DRIVING! Get from point A to point B without killing someone else. All the other stuff is unnecessary. Yeah I know, people conduct business while in their cars. What in the world did we ever do during the 50s through the 80s?

Vrai started this thread because she thought I was blaming the roads for accidents. There are conditions on some of our roads that exacerbate the chances for accidents; but the primary reasons for accidents are inattentive driving and impatience.

But, I see no reason for anyone thinking what they have to plunk around on their cell phone is so important that it must be done while trying to maneuver a 4000lb projectile at 60 mph around dozens of other vehicles.

 

[phobos512]

http://forums.somd.com/threads/289447-Street-Racing-Honda-Civic-Si-Douchebag?p=5381073#post5381073

 

[czygvtwkr]

There are a lot of different reasons, but one thing is for sure is that just about everyone out there thinks they are a safer driver than they really are.

I think the number one cause is people simply not thinking, for example you will see someone accidentally get off an an exit and instead of just going down the off ramp and right back up the on ramp they will stop and buck up to get back on the interstate, I think this demonstrates some peoples inability to think under pressure.

Distraction is also a huge one, whether it be talking on a cell phone, getting a little road head or simply day dreaming.

Poorly designed intersections, this place takes the cake for that. Also back in the early 2000's route 235 had like 3 different sets of lines on it when they was doing all the construction and they were all worn off to just about the same level.

People being asshats is another, they just need punched.

 

[glhs837]

Then I will say that the 99% that don’t know how to drive and text at the same time are ruining things for you. There’s only one thing you should be doing while driving… DRIVING! Get from point A to point B without killing someone else. All the other stuff is unnecessary. Yeah I know, people conduct business while in their cars. What in the world did we ever do during the 50s through the 80s?

Vrai started this thread because she thought I was blaming the roads for accidents. There are conditions on some of our roads that exacerbate the chances for accidents; but the primary reasons for accidents are inattentive driving and impatience.

But, I see no reason for anyone thinking what they have to plunk around on their cell phone is so important that it must be done while trying to maneuver a 4000lb projectile at 60 mph around dozens of other vehicles.

Not ruining anything for me. I use handfree when I do, and do so safely. Been rear ended once in the rain, could have avoided that even, if I wasnt in front of a stopped guy who got pushed into me.

 

[Vince]

What causes traffic accidents?

Stupid people. Tailgaters. The majority of the accidents are from people following too close.

 

[Larry Gude]

Is it the roads or, as I suspect, people just drive like #### and don't pay attention?

Just this afternoon some crazy woman tried to delay my trip because (surprise surprise) she was absorbed in her cell phone conversation and not paying attention to her driving. Fortunately I do not talk or text while driving, so I saw her in enough time to avoid her so she could go on her way completely oblivious to the fact that she almost caused a problem. And if you ask her, she'll almost certainly say she can talk on the phone and drive just fine, because she seemed unaware that I was already in the space she wanted to occupy.

I'm telling you, people: you do not drive "just fine" when you are texting or talking. You just aren't aware of the mayhem you're causing because your attention is elsewhere.

Riding a motorcycle makes one acutely aware of how accidents happen because, when riding, there is NOTHING else to do and you are absolutely exposed; no cage. No radio to fiddle with or soda to drink or cell phone to mess with or even a passenger to turn and chat with. You just ride; throttle, clutch, shift, brakes, handlebars, body position; 7 things to do that are all critical in keeping you from a trip to the hospital or morgue. You pay attention to everything and everyone or else.

We, as car drivers, get distracted, at least a little, all the time be it a very minor lane incursion or all the way up to turning left in front of a bike or a truck and literally not 'seeing' it because our mind is somewhere else, if only for an instant. It is NOT easy to pay attention ALL the time in a car. Driver, the pure act of steering, gas, brake, looking, is, in and of itself very, very easy to learn and be competent at.

Riding a bike is something you work at ALL the time. Or you get killed.

 

[glhs837]

And it's a good reason to drive a car that's fun to drive and learn to enjoy the act of driving. The game of predicting others actions based on what few clues you can get from what you can see, seeing far enough ahead to know way before the traffic around you's going to happen, that's fun. in addition to reducing your chances of crashing (or even being in someone else crash) it massively reduces the chances of anything catching you by surprise enough for you to crash. Driving should be more like riding a bike. If you treat it as such, it's a lot safer.

 

[my-thyme]

I use the bluetooth option on my car's radio, and I find it very distracting. Why is that?

When there is a person in my vehicle, and we are talking (sometimes very animatedly), I don't have any problem driving. Is it because they are also watching the road, and we both chill when the road needs more attention?

 

[MADPEBS1]

It's the MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMMEMEMEMEMEMEME social society , All about me, not caring about anyone else.... My head is aways on a swivel, needs to be.... I thought we couldn't talk with phiones to head only hands free, not many observe that law ! Cops don' care.

 

[warneckutz]

It's the MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMMEMEMEMEMEMEME social society , All about me, not caring about anyone else.... My head is aways on a swivel, needs to be.... I thought we couldn't talk with phiones to head only hands free, not many observe that law ! Cops don' care.

engrish?

 

[MADPEBS1]

nah just did't spell check, moved on to other things.... Get the jist of it though, don't YOU ?????????????

 

[warneckutz]

nah just did't spell check, moved on to other things.... Get the jist of it though, don't YOU ?????????????

Agree with the exception of the cops not caring, I think there's a few out there looking for ANY reason to pull someone over for ANYTHING so they may end up finding the driver at fault for something else. (Lack of using a turn signal results in getting pulled over and the dude has $10k of coke in the vehicle - that's a lot of soda)

 

[glhs837]

I use the bluetooth option on my car's radio, and I find it very distracting. Why is that?

When there is a person in my vehicle, and we are talking (sometimes very animatedly), I don't have any problem driving. Is it because they are also watching the road, and we both chill when the road needs more attention?

Yep, I think that's it. You just have to work at remembering that the person on the other end isn't there with you, and so is disconnected from your environment. We are trained socially not to leave "awkward gaps" in conversation, so it's a matter of understanding that and being willing to let there be gaps while you up your attention level. Me, I learned it years ago flying as aircrew and doing systems checks over an intercom system. I know may people I talk with don't know how to do that, so I preface any in-car call with "I'm in the car, so if I dont talk suddenly, thats okay. If you hear a crash, thats not okay"

 

[BernieP]

two words
Stupid
People


The cell phone is just a symptom, a convenient device to blame for people with diminished brain waves.

More people are injured as a result of walking while talking or texting on a cell phone than by people driving while doing the same.
Apparently people feel "safer" outside the car and ignore where they are going.
But we haven't restricted walking and cell phones.

 

[RPMDAD]

It's the MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMMEMEMEMEMEMEME social society , All about me, not caring about anyone else.... My head is aways on a swivel, needs to be.... I thought we couldn't talk with phiones to head only hands free, not many observe that law ! Cops don' care.

I know in Cal Co. the police do care. They ran a sting operation with 2 Cal. Co officers driving around in a dump truck so they had good visibilty into vehicles and not being noticed and radioed ahead to waiting chase cars for people using cell phones while driving. Obviously they can't set this up everyday, but most cell phone and driving violators are normally smart enough not to do it or hold the phone down when they see marked cruisers, and or unmarked cruisers.

http://www.gazette.net/article/20140430/NEWS/140439861/1045&template=gazette

 

[Hank]

I know in Cal Co. the police do care. They ran a sting operation with 2 Cal. Co officers driving around in a dump truck so they had good visibilty into vehicles and not being noticed and radioed ahead to waiting chase cars for people using cell phones while driving. Obviously they can't set this up everyday, but most cell phone and driving violators are normally smart enough not to do it or hold the phone down when they see marked cruisers, and or unmarked cruisers.

http://www.gazette.net/article/20140430/NEWS/140439861/1045&template=gazette

They were running a sting at dares beach coming out of Safeway and rt. 4. A few people would stand under the movie marquee and signal the cops right around the corner who was on their phone in the right turning lane. Take your right and boom, waved over for your ticket.