Well, we made it to 1,000...

[smithra89]

TDOT, (or whoever posts on the electronic signs over the interstate), so kindly informed me today we have reached 1,000 traffic fatalities in TN for 2012. According to TN department of safety that is 70 more deaths YTD than last year.

 

When are we going to start banning and placing more restrictions on vehicles and drivers to SAVE lives! :panic:

 

...but seriously, you might want to wear your seatbelt!

[Sam1]

I am concerned that we can lose that many people and nothing is done except to keep a death count on a billboard for entertainment and our national flag is still at half staff for something that happened 3 weeks ago involving 2 dozen people.

[10-Ring]

This is a serious issue and much like the gun control issue there is no way lawmakers will take a common sense approach to it.  Let's face it, the majority of people on the road SUCK at driving.  But will we ever make people become proficient drivers before issuing them a license?  Have periodic retesting?  NO!  We never will, because our own lawmakers would not want to take a chance on not being able to drive themselves. 

 

Our system is a joke.  Two examples in my family 1)  After sustaining severe injuries after being hit by a drunk driver my grandfather suffered a stroke to his optical nerve and was left legally blind, as to how blind I do not remember, I know that he could see the shape of large figures close to him but that was about it.  Yet the State of Tennessee renewed his drivers license 3 years after this happened.  Obviously he was not driving at this point but it's still idiotic that the state renewed his license.  2)  My grandmother's sister mistook me for my brother face to face a couple of years ago.  My brother and I look absolutely nothing alike, one of us is short fat and ugly, and I'm the other one.  Even though she can't tell Prince Charming from the Hunchback face to face she still drives.  But according to her family "it's just around town."  Extremely dangerous situation in my opinion.  Her her looks as if she just drove away from a demolition derby.

 

It's so much easier for lawmakers to just lower the speed limit than to actually put legislation in place that would make us all safer.  Why are these people so scared of making a driving test difficult?

[greenego]

Maybe someone at DOT will realize that posting the number of highway deaths on those information signs really doesn't reduce the number of deaths. :death: Maybe someone at DOT could post some usefully information, like if an accident is ahead which lane it's in so you can get over. Just Maybe. :shrug:

[Jesse]

nascar drivers can crash at 200 mph and walk away.    every car should have to come with roll cages and 5 point harness seatbelts.

 

but as always the extra money it would cost isnt worth a humans life to most people.  but its the only real answer that would work.

[vontar]

I am concerned that we can lose that many people and nothing is done except to keep a death count on a billboard for entertainment and our national flag is still at half staff for something that happened 3 weeks ago involving 2 dozen people.

well according to http://halfstaff.org/ I believe that was only 1 day.   Appears it should be at full staff currently

 

- THE US FLAG IS AT FULL STAFF
12/19/12 thru 12/23/12 President Obama has ordered US flags to half staff Honoring Senator Daniel K. Inouye, President pro tempore of the Senate.

US - 12/18/2012
US Flags at Half Staff in Honor of Senator Daniel K. Inouye

US - 12/14/2012
US Flags at Half Staff Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut

Edited December 28, 2012 by vontar

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

Maybe someone at DOT will realize that posting the number of highway deaths on those information signs really doesn't reduce the number of deaths. :death: Maybe someone at DOT could post some usefully information, like if an accident is ahead which lane it's in so you can get over. Just Maybe. :shrug:

 

When a lane is noticeably closed ahead only the responsible drivers move over... to make room for the asshats to speed past and force their way in at the last moment.

[DaveS]

Now the flags will be at half mast for our great General that just passed away.

 

Dave S

[Sam1]

well according to http://halfstaff.org/ I believe that was only 1 day.   Appears it should be at full staff currently
 
- THE US FLAG IS AT FULL STAFF
12/19/12 thru 12/23/12 President Obama has ordered US flags to half staff Honoring Senator Daniel K. Inouye, President pro tempore of the Senate.
US - 12/18/2012
US Flags at Half Staff in Honor of Senator Daniel K. InouyeUS - 12/14/2012
US Flags at Half Staff Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut

Thank you sir, I seen them go down then, but they've never been raised back up

[E4 No More]

Being born and raised in Missouri I can say that Tennessee could definitely make their driving test harder. In Missouri you have a much harder test than here where they are just looking for an excuse to fail you, and you WILL FAIL the first time if you are a male. I taught my oldest daughter to drive with the idea of her taking her test in Missouri, but we moved down to Nashville before she could take it. All the time that I taught her I reinforced the idea of how hard the test is. Imagine my surprise when we get down here and all she has to do is drive around the block without hitting anything. She now doubts that there was ever a need to learn to parallel park, park on a grade with and without E-brake engaged, or not round off corners during a turn. My first observation in reference to traffic when I moved down here is that everyone thinks that they are driving on the NASCAR circuit.

[glock55]

according to my observations the breakdown might go like this: 20 killed while driving, the rest killed while: texting,drinking,eating,putting makeup on,shaving,reading,watching tv,dancing,talking on phone==== you get the picture.

 

hoping for a safe and happy new year to all

[Guest PapaB]

So far no mention of DUI's and the people driving while suspended. Stricter penalties would get some of these people off the road and help reduce deaths. In the past couple of months I've read about at least 2 people being arrested for dui offenses in excess of a dozen each. At least half of the DUI arrests I read about are of drivers already suspended for prior DUI's. Tennessee needs to adopt a felony DUI law as many other states have. Mandatory sentences to keep these clowns in jail will make the roads safer.

Driving while distracted (DWD) needs to be trated like a DUI. Texting, putting on makeup, shaving, reading etc. (while driving) should be treated the same as a DUI imho.

Edited December 28, 2012 by PapaB

[runco]

Not to belittle the number, to make a comparision to another important number or at least a remote comparision, considering the state of Tennessee has ~6,403,353 residents (2011 census data), this is 156 deaths per 1,000,000 million residents.  Now compare this information to the deaths caused by guns.  According to the CDC, in 2009 3.7 per 100,000, or 37 deaths per 1,000,000 million U.S. residents were caused by guns.  Of this, CDC says 59.8% of gun deaths are by suicide, so if we discard this portion, the result is 14 gun related deaths or homicides per 1,000,000 million U.S. residents.

 

Sources:

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47000.html

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm

 

So to recap:

• New Legislation for guns = 14 deaths per 1,000,000 (U.S.) residents.
• No new Legislation for cars = 156 deaths per 1,000,000 (TN) residents.

 

Little warped isn't it! Sounds like a political agenda. Death by automobile is 10x that of guns!

 

Disqualifer, I am not a statician, but I do know how to add 1+1=2, and make unscientific comments/discoveries.  I could have looked into car deaths on a national level, but the kids want me to play WII and I am trying to hurry.

[TripleDigitRide]

Not to belittle the number, to make a comparision to another important number or at least a remote comparision, considering the state of Tennessee has ~6,403,353 residents (2011 census data), this is 156 deaths per 1,000,000 million residents.  Now compare this information to the deaths caused by guns.  According to the CDC, in 2009 3.7 per 100,000, or 37 deaths per 1,000,000 million U.S. residents were caused by guns.  Of this, CDC says 59.8% of gun deaths are by suicide, so if we discard this portion, the result is 14 gun related deaths or homicides per 1,000,000 million U.S. residents.
 
Sources:
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47000.html
 
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm
 
So to recap:
New Legislation for guns = 14 deaths per 1,000,000 (U.S.) residents.
No new Legislation for cars = 156 deaths per 1,000,000 (TN) residents.
 
Little warped isn't it! Sounds like a political agenda. Death by automobile is 10x that of guns!
 
Disqualifer, I am not a statician, but I do know how to add 1+1=2, and make unscientific comments/discoveries.  I could have looked into car deaths on a national level, but the kids want me to play WII and I am trying to hurry.

I was thinking along the same lines. If you figure the total number of people who travel through and within (Tennessee residents + people traveling to or through Tennessee) the state, the percentage appears very low.

[Jesse]

Getting killed in a wreck is one of my biggest fears. Most of the time you see it coming and its terrible. Some reason all my near wrecks involved a stupid 18 wheeler truck driver. Some of those guys drive crazy.

[ttocswob]

We must ban large capacity assault wagons - and do it now - for the children!

[swim615]

Some good points made here and my feeling is that the most dangerous thing that most people will do in their lifetime is be in a car so lets make it safer. I try to teach my children this as well. Please wear your seat belt.

[TMF]

I tried to explain this to my wife as she is worried about he kids going to school and being shot. Somehow it doesn't register that your kids are far more likely to be killed by a teenager texting and driving than you are an active shooter/terrorist/lightning/vaccinations/icicles/Chinese toys/flammable Halloween costumes.... etc. Unfortunately, these are what the sensationalists focus on to keep people scared and tuning in. I can't go a month without a near death experience on the road from a tommy texter. Can't say that I've ever had a lunatic shoot at me on US soil.

[Jonnin]

Bah, I have it on the highest authority that any year now gun deaths may exceed car deaths for the first time since about 1912.   The brady campaign said so..!

[RobertNashville]

To be blunt, I'm not surprised.

I've lived in five different states in my life and I've traveled in almost all of the lower 48 and I've seen a lot of drivers over those years that just make me wonder how they are still alive.

Tennessee especially seems to make running red lights some sort of state pastime (although I've yet to figure out what the price is - maybe it's getting to a destination 2 minutes earlier; assuming you don't T-bone someone??? No matter what my speed on the highways, I will always get passed like I'm sitting still (and anyone who actually knows me knows I'm not a slow driver by any means).

Short of manufacturers building cars that cannot wreck, I don't see an answer to the problem.

Clearly, whatever people are learning in their driver education classes isn't "sticking" and after competing in SCCA Solo2 for a number of years I'm convinced that there isn't 1 in 100 people who actually know how to handle their vehicle in an emergency situation.

For myself, I think I'm going to look for a surplus, demilitarized tank. ;)

[Guest MilitiaMan]

From what I observe daily, where I live, local traffic fatalities are mostly caused by the over abundance of complete morons that don't know how to stay in their OWN lane.

[Hershmeister]

We need to ban Roads. Without them cars wouldn't be deadly at all!

[Hershmeister]

People should be happy with horses and carts like in revolutionary times. The founders clearly never intended there to be paved roads where you could travel faster than any known land animal!

[npgunner]

[Sam1]

Is anyone going to start a WH petition on them? I am starting to get worried about people having 6 cylinders more than they need to safely reach a 55mph speed limit