Make roads safer

"bob and john" (bobandjohn) 01/29/2014 at 15:29 • Filed to: None

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well now, isnt this one of the great cluster-fuck debacles of our time?
how do we do it?

some say we have stricter tests.
some say we decrease speed limits and slow the world down
extremists say we dont drive and turn the whole world into a tree hugging, peace-adoring state.
the obvious answer is this: make the DRIVERS safer.

ok, we've got step 1 and 2 down. Admit we have a problem, and recognize exactly WHAT the problem is.

now, step 3. how do we deal with it?

we know tht our drivers ed is a joke. so what do we do?
take up what they have in europe? tht make sense in theory, but they much short distances to drive there, and cars arent as necessary for life over there as it is here state (and canada) side.

"so Pete, what are you proposing?" I hear some of you say

Its simple. we kill the batman (sorry, had to get that in)

but seriously now, i say we do 4 things

1: you have to take a driving course every 3 years. preferably a winter one. because as we see in the states right now, its a friggen cluster-fuck thanks to idiots who cant drive.

2: limit the HP of your car. make it a tiered permit system. from 16-20 u cant have more then 225 hp. no more. oh, this means you cant buy that really nice lexus SUV u wanted for your grad gift? well tough shit

3: make the police start handing out tickets for passing on the wrong side, tail gating, not just speeding. i cant remember how many times i've been tailgated by some asshole in an audi (its audis up here in canada. not as much the BMWs) and the cops 2 lanes over didnt do shit all.

4: this is the most important one. make the people spend 6 month/x amount of KM on something like this:

and here is why:

1: it teaches you to realize just how dangerous cars are. by putting yourself in a vulnerable position, you realize just HOW dangerous car are when they are actually in motion.
2: its open. meaning you cant drive it in shitty weather. meaning the experienced stay off the road when things go tits up
3: it screens out people who cant drive because of a disability. EG: you can balance? ok, fair enough, you dont need tht for driving, but this thing has 3 wheels, u dont need to know how to balance.
oh, you cant balance gas, steering and checking for traffic on this? then why should we put you behind the wheel of a 1.5 tonne murderous hunk of steel?
4: its cheap. it doesnt use a lot of gas, yea, insurance is a bit of a bitch, but isnt it anyways if ur young?
5: it does have the range that anyone would need at that age. (150 miles per tank) and it is reasonably speedy. not like sportbike quick, but enough to keep you from being the road block on the streets.
6: can be easily parked and stored.

7: it basically applies natural selection. if you are dumb enough to take risks when its just you life in danger, why should we let you have something much heavier that could kill someone else too?

and when someone yells :OH BUT I DONT TRUST MY DAUGHTER ON THE ROADS IN THIS SAD POS, SHE NEEDS A CAR to be safe

yea, most people on the roads now are idiots. so, lets take the median (not the average) and everyone below tht level has to start again. on a scooter. re-learn how to drive.
there is no point in making people like us Oppos retake it. we KNOW how to drive. its the people who dont know how to drive that are the problem.

i know its a little more far fetched then other ideas, but maybe we do need something radical to help our driving schools.

then again, what does the 19 year old know, eh?

PS: the reason i suggest this is because instead of getting a car first, i was zipping around the GTA on a buell blast. a 500cc, single piston thumper that got me to and from school and a part-time job for a year and a bit. great, great little bike that. but I feel that its helped me realize just how dangerous cars can be. (heres a pic of the little guy)

so, now i'm actually curious. what do you guys think about this?

EDIT: I admit i wrote this kinda as a rant/get my ideas down. curious to see what you guys think of it. apologies if any of it comes off as me being a dick

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 15:40

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I like the idea of limiting HP. With the exception of heavy duty work trucks nothing needs the kind of power today's engines can produce. Banning or taxing high horse power cars, lets say anything producing more then 250hp would be great. Plus it would drive auto makers to build better car, smaller, lighter, more efficient, and most of all more fun cars. Instead of boasting about HP number it would be about how a car handles, curb weight, interior quality, or MPGS, or MSRP. What a wonderful world it would be.

N/A POWAAAHH > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 15:41

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225 hp in an economy car is fast as shit, that's almost WRX territory

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 15:45

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Having a disability does not preclude one from being able to drive well.

Are you proposing that anyone without the full use of all four limbs, both eyes, and both ears in any combination be forced to live at home, reliant on someone else to proved them with transportation?

How about we just eliminate undesirables from the population altogether?

I think we are all for tougher education standards and driver training, but your proposal takes it a little far, and comes across as very angry.

bob and john > N/A POWAAAHH 01/29/2014 at 15:46

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its still quick, yes. but its not STI levels of performance.

i drove a car with 160 hp. it felt a little slow (2001 s40)
i drove a morderner car (2009 is250) it had 206 hp. but because it weighed so much, it really doesnt feel any faster then the old volvo.

Casper > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/29/2014 at 15:49

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That doesn't make sense at all. Countries have done this and proven that it doesn't make a difference (other than artificially retarding development). Just because there isn't a horsepower limit doesn't mean weight, handling, and fuel economy aren't in the equation. Each type of vehicle is built for a specific demographic with specific design goals. If they are wrong, the market will automatically penalize them in the form of lost sales.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/29/2014 at 15:50

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So...Sparta levels of rules for driving?

N/A POWAAAHH > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 15:50

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A manual would make 160 fast. My subaru as an example.

bob and john > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/29/2014 at 15:53

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ehhhh. it might.
i'm not saying we eliminate them. but someone with out an arm out have to A: have a modified car (easier steering) or something.
missing a leg? drive an auto, or prove to us that you CAN drive stick.
i do know someone who doesnt have use of his legs, but he has to have a specially modified car to do so.
and that was more for people with epilepsy or some other illness that may cause them to have seizure (weather it be stress related or other wise) behind the wheel

and yes, it does sound a bit angry reading back on it. didnt mean for it to come across that way.

Casper > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 15:56

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The simpler method is to simply require stricter tests based around actual driving (not regulations), creating a classification licenses system based on vehicle class as well as road class (ranking up from surface streets, to rural highways, to freeways).

Completely agree people should start on something like a scooter or motorcycle. I can't agree with anything that would limit access to any vehicle type without a cheap and fair testing method to attain access. For instance if you have a HP limit it should be easy to over come it with proof of ability.

BrewskiDoodle > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 15:56

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You telling anyone to ride these makes me want to go (marshawn) LYNCH myself... just sayin'

bob and john > BrewskiDoodle 01/29/2014 at 16:00

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to be fair, the other nose doesnt look quite as girly

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 16:02

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Most people without normal use of their limbs already have the needed modifications to accommodate themselves for driving.

I agree that most of those who have full-physical mobility clearly don't use their brains when they're driving.

Tougher testing and more required experience would go a long way toward making our roads better. Unfortunately, that is not likely to happen. There is a vested interest in making automakers have to add more technology instead of make people accountable for their own personal responsibility.

Insurance companies do not want people to be held accountable. They would have to pay out more and more often hurting their precious shareholders quarterly returns.

Won't anyone think of the poor, starving shareholders? They might have to...gasp...sell one of their homes. Or even worse, almost unspeakable actually, associate with plebes like us.

The Horror. The Horror.

bob and john > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/29/2014 at 16:08

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ya, sounds about right.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > bob and john 01/29/2014 at 21:41

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I looks like a retarded rabbit.

BrewskiDoodle > bob and john 01/30/2014 at 09:43

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the fact of the matter is that it has three wheels, and in the commercials they do the motorcycle 'wave' to actual motorcyclists.

as a motorcyclist myself, i never ever ever ever wave to mopeds, or these.

The Enigmatic Zer0 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/02/2014 at 02:26

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Holy crap, it does...