Post AOdspA7cW5cko5hHdI by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
(DIR) More posts by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
(DIR) Post #AOdUiLw9nAoCWXYUpk by cs@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-16T17:44:01Z
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“We can’t afford this”? How about the easy solution of slowing down?East Macon speeding cameras causing people grief | 13wmaz.comhttps://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/5000-of-tickets-east-macon-speeding-cameras-causing-people-grief/93-4c315d70-f296-4c70-b339-e3c985787607
(DIR) Post #AOdUiMJCPVExg0KtkW by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-16T18:52:30Z
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@cs How about the easy solution of stopping draconian enforcement of arbitrary traffic laws. Speed limits do not determine safe operation. Someone's sh!tbox from the 90s probably isn't safe at the same speeds as a new corvette. Speeds that are fine on the empty highway probably aren't safe when there's heavy traffic. Why is one highway in my area 85mph and others are 65mph without a difference in the road? Oh, because the fast one is a toll road and speed limits are about revenue generation.
(DIR) Post #AOdUiMp6UslFGxGNTk by publius@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-16T20:31:04Z
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@AdvJosh @cs Nobody's car is safe enough for the speeds they actually drive at. Tens of thousands of dead bodies a year, despite all the protective measures built into modern cars, prove that.If speed limits were lowered to a figure that reflected what human reflexes are actually like, people might be more willing to admit that car-oriented development was a mistake, and start building cities around transportation modes that don't require everybody to work so much.
(DIR) Post #AOdbXzbmebJG3Y26iG by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-16T21:47:36Z
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@publius @cs See I would say that all the "safety" features we add have worsened the problem. We are now so removed from feeling like we are solely responsible for a few tons of steel hurdling down the road at 70 mph with massive energy. It's easy to feel like you can pay less attention to the road when your car will automatically stop, manage cruise control speed, keep you in your lane, etc.
(DIR) Post #AOdmw09FOidMAyKtwu by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-16T21:50:40Z
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@publius @cs I have no problem responding to road conditions even at high speeds, but perhaps it's because I drive cars that do no thinking or acting for me so I know it's all on me. Perhaps it's because I ride motorcycles and know the dangers.Also, remember that big places like Texas need cars and trucks. A Walmart is 40 miles from me, ranchers routinely haul livestock 100+ miles so others can eat, if I need to catch a flight I have to drive 100-300 miles for an airport.
(DIR) Post #AOdmw0ZpnrtvVQm8OG by publius@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-16T23:55:13Z
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@AdvJosh @cs "You have no problem"? How confident are you in saying that?It's very easy to judge your own competence under good conditions. But if you're a bit tired, or unwell, or whatever, making your performance a bit worse than usual ― you still have to drive! And, guess what, the same is true of all the other people on the road.I say this as a Texan, and a long time driver of manual-transmission cars without "driver assistance" features.
(DIR) Post #AOdspA7cW5cko5hHdI by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-17T01:01:14Z
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@publius @cs Very confident; so far, no crashes even when driving when others wouldn't like ice storms, heavy rain, being tired, etc. It's just a matter of knowing your self, your vehicle, and both of your limits (and your envirmoent) and operating within them. The speed limit is still the same at night out here, but the actual speed you can safely travel is very different when the highways haven't been mowed recently and their are hogs and deer hiding in tall grass.
(DIR) Post #AOdt52GVUlPN4bQH68 by publius@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-17T01:04:06Z
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@AdvJosh @cs Of the more than 25 million people in this State, most live in the urbanized areas of Houston/Galveston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, El Paso (although most of the population in the El Paso metro area is on the Mexican side), and the lower Rio Grande Valley. Some might add Amarillo to that list.Defining transportation in the areas most of the people spend most of their time by the requirements of the large thinly-populated districts seems a mistake.
(DIR) Post #AOdvOlFue6h21Eg7pQ by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-17T01:05:46Z
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@publius @cs I'm not arguing that excessive speed should *always* be used, just that speed limits are arbitrary and often used as a revenue generation method especially by small towns. Safety is not a speed limit; it's ensuring that drivers on the road are competent and those who are incompetent are kept off.I'm saying this as a person who has only ever owned manual cars with no driver assistance other than ABS or cruise control.
(DIR) Post #AOdvOlkknRMZYt6kts by publius@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-17T01:30:04Z
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@AdvJosh @cs I've been driving the freeways, city streets, and backroads of Texas for 25 years. The only crackup I've had was in Florida, under very unusual conditions. (There were no injuries, the other vehicle wasn't damaged, and I only discovered the damage to my own car hours later.)I know for certain that luck has been a big factor in saving me from the bad driving of other people, as well as my own. And one can't depend on luck!
(DIR) Post #AOdvOm3XfaOMV9tlBY by AdvJosh@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-17T01:09:42Z
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@publius @cs Honestly, the most helpful road safety strategy is what I learned riding motorcycles. Anything and everything *will* kill you; always think of how you're going to respond. That car - gonna merge into you. Can you move lanes, speed up quickly enough, or slow down?That grass - deer are hiding in it. Will you be able to swerve enough to dodge it or brake quickly enough to not hit it?That curve - there's gravel in the middle of it. Are you going so fast it will make you crash?
(DIR) Post #AOdvVAOq4eivjsuMMK by publius@mastodon.sdf.org
2022-10-17T01:31:14Z
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@AdvJosh @cs And you can't keep incompetents off the roads when there's no other choice. Driving is essentially obligatory here. Drunks, people with suspended licenses, people with cars in bad repair, people with poor vision… they all drive, because they have to get to places.