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The real issue is all the current bad drivers. A requirement to start re-testing normal people in addition to the elderly would be a large benefit to society.
by gibolt 1y ago
The real issue is all the current bad drivers. A requirement to start re-testing normal people in addition to the elderly would be a large benefit to society.
- HiroshiSan 1y agoYeah the mindset is essentially drive to spec in the test and then skirting the law from then on.
- soupfordummies 1y agoI think a lot about this (bad drivers) and I’m not really sure how to fix it since I think it’s really a problem of underlying selfishness and perceived-exceptionalism mixed with overestimation of skill.
- rs186 1y agoComplete unrelated, I just wish every driver on the road re-learn that cyclists have the same rights of being on city roads like cars.
- Foofoobar12345 1y agoAnd I wish cyclists would re-learn that pedestrians have more rights of being on sidewalks. That said, the bigger plague on sidewalks are e-scooters. Additionally, most cyclists I see never stop at stop signs no matter how busy the intersection is.
- decimalenough 1y agoThat's the "Idaho stop". You're moving at speeds slow enough to be easily able to check for traffic without stopping, plus losing inertia as a cyclist is much more annoying (and arguably even dangerous) than for a car.
- gibolt 1y agoFrom a driver's perspective, you don't want to wait an extra 5-10 seconds because now the bike in front of you has to get back up to speed. 0-5mph is the slowest change and the most energy
- nsnick 1y agoIn many places cyclists are not required to stop for stop signs. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- stronglikedan 1y ago> And I wish cyclists would re-learn that pedestrians have more rights of being on sidewalks. That's not universal, but I do wish they would just learn those laws for their state. In my state, they have equal rights, and that is that no one has the right of way. If you run into someone, it's your fault full stop. If you couldn't stop in time, then you were travelling too fast for the situation. If someone is blocking the sidewalk, they're a dick, but you can't do anything about it without getting arrested except to find another way around. Also, if you're on a bike and about to pass a pedestrian, you must give an audible (to the ped) signal so as to warn of your approach. Even then, if you hit them, it's because you were going to fast to stop safely in case they wandered into your path. I love the laws in my state regarding shared cycling/pedestrian ways, and sidewalks in particular. Very reasonable and fair.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- Antoniocl 1y agoHow this issue skews probably depends on where you live, but in the area I live, I have the opposite complaint: that bicyclists should re-learn that they are legally required (in my city) to ride on roads, rather than barrelling down sidewalks. That said, this is coming from me as a pedestrian, so maybe someone who was primarily a driver would have a completely different take from both of us.
- pavel_lishin 1y agoWhere I live, there are definitely places where I end up cycling on the sidewalk, because it would be nigh-suicidal to actually take my bike on the road. But I don't go barreling past pedestrians, and make sure I give them the right of way.
- II2II 1y agoI have noticed a huge uptick in agressive behaviour from motorists over the past couple of years. By huge uptick, I mean behaviour that I used to see once every couple of weeks I am new facing multiple times daily. Quite bluntly, the politicians in my area are enabling life endangering behaviour towards cyclists by blaming cyclists for traffic congestion that have nothing to do with cyclists (e.g. road construction projects for motorists, or waterworks or building construction that have nothing to do with cyclists). While I am sticking to the roads, I don't blame other cyclists for seeking refuge on the sidewalks.
- hamdingers 1y agoHas your city made an effort to make it safe and attractive to ride on every street? Or is that a de-facto ban on cycling.
- dgunay 1y agoI don't personally care whether bikes (or scooters) ride on the road or the sidewalk, but my one ask is that: If they ride on the sidewalk, they should behave like pedestrians. That is, do not blast into the crosswalk at 20mph (impossible for drivers to safely check for in most environments), do not randomly enter the road from the sidewalk, pass pedestrians at a respectful speed and distance, etc. If they ride on the road, they should behave similarly to motorists. That is, actually obey stop signs (rolling stop, or even treating it like a yield is okay), and actually obey traffic lights. I'll even tolerate transitioning from one to the other at appropriate traffic stops. Just please don't get upset if I almost run you over for abruptly taking right of way you never legally had.
- bathtub365 1y agoYep, including not being allowed to run red lights. It would also be great if they had license plates so you could easily report dangerous behaviour.
- stronglikedan 1y ago> It would also be great if they had license plates Lol, like hell it would. The supposed "danger" is not worth more legislation and overreach.
- kyleee 1y agoJust think of the YouTube videos though; sovereign citizens on bicycles.
- margalabargala 1y agoWhich state are you in? There are a lot of US states (like, more than 10) where cyclists specifically are permitted to go through red lights in some circumstances.
- MisterMower 1y agoRiding a bike without a helmet is permitted in most states, too. Just because it’s lawful doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
- margalabargala 1y agoThat's a new and moved goalpost far from the original discussion, but sure. Is there a specific state's laws that you think describe a circumstances when a bike may proceed through a red light, but it is unsafe to do so? If so, how does that unsafety compare to your opinion on cars turning right on red?
- MisterMower 1y agoLet me be more direct: because it’s legal for cyclists to run red lights, you think they should? I hope you can see what I am getting at now. You can’t have it both ways. If cyclists are going to use roads designed for and paid by motorists, they should be subject to the same rules, regulations, taxes, and enforcement. You’re welcome to defend a double standard for cyclists, but it won’t change the fact that it is indeed a double standard and is inherently unfair.
- stronglikedan 1y agoI just wish every cyclist would re-learn that they're bound by the same traffics laws as every driver on the road. I'd bet accidents are more often than not mostly their fault.
- margalabargala 1y agoThere is no US state where the traffic laws for cars and cyclists are identical. Where are you located that they are?
- cooljoseph 1y ago> I'd bet accidents are more often than not mostly their fault. That's actually not true. Most surveys I've seen show that drivers are at fault ~80% of the time.
- MisterMower 1y agoSurveys? “Yes I’ve been in an accident on my bike Mr. Poll Taker.” “What? Of course it was the other guy’s fault!”
- cooljoseph 1y agoNo, surveys like where researchers show up to hospitals and look at the police reports for the injured cyclists. Sorry if I wasn't clear in my wording. By "survey" I was trying to point to the specific kind of research methodology where you survey people about what has happened in the past instead of trying to control variables like in a typical experiment. I wasn't talking about random internet polls or self-reported blame analyses, but actual research papers.
- MisterMower 1y agoCyclists contribute to congestion and occupy road space that was created through taxes on motorists while paying nothing for these benefits. Cyclists are not licensed and their bicycles are not tagged or inspected for safe operation on roads, unlike motorists. Cyclists are rarely subjected to traffic law enforcement despite demanding all of the rights that motorists pay for and are licensed for. Cyclists are a danger to themselves and others while operating in the same area as motorists, but are not required to carry insurance or wear safety equipment, while motorists are held to more stringent regulation. In a nutshell, cyclists are free-riding risk takers who are arrogant to boot. When they start acting like motorists and pay taxes like motorists and are fined like motorists for violating the law, I will happily change my opinion.
- nostrebored 1y agoMotorists __DO NOT COVER__ the costs of roads. Your existence as a motorist is entirely subsidized. The cost of driving is borne by government and society. Road infrastructure, maintenance, and space for cars is actually insanely expensive.
- MisterMower 1y agoWhat do you think taxes on gasoline are for? You’re absolutely right, roadways are insanely expensive. That’s why it’s infuriating to see entire lanes expropriated for cyclists.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago> What do you think taxes on gasoline are for? Paying for our highways circa 1993 [1]. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_Sta...
- MisterMower 1y agoYou realize states levy taxes on gas too, right? And that those taxes are remitted to city governments to build and maintain infrastructure?
- dddddaviddddd 1y agoI would support re-testing on some interval like every 5 years. That said, so much could be done to make the environment safer. Lower speeds, more traffic calming, safer intersections, safer alternatives (public transit, walking, bicycle).
- sensen 1y agoI can't help but think about the failures of basic human-oriented infrastructure when I can't safely ride my bike to the grocery store 2 miles from my home. I don't know what it'll take to change this in our cities, and it feels like an uphill battle when seemingly very few people care about problems like these.
- gosub100 1y ago"Safely" is a subjective term. Plenty of motorists are injured in MVAs on 2 mile drives to get groceries too. What cyclists should pursue is an accident rate equivalent to cars, per hour in traffic.
- simonw 1y agoI'm from the UK, took driving lessons in the UK but then passed my driving test in the USA (in California). The USA driving test is so much easier than the UK one! UK: Varied junctions and roundabouts, traffic lights, independent driving (≈20 minutes via sat nav or signs), one reversing manoeuvre (parallel park, bay park, or pull up on the right and reverse), normal stops and move-offs (including from behind a parked car), hill start, emergency stop. California: Cross three intersections, three right turns, three left turns, lane change, backing up, park in a bay, obey stop signs and traffic lights. My understanding is that the USA test is so much easier because it's hard to get by in most of the USA without a car, so if the test was harder people would likely just drive without a license instead.
- foobarian 1y agoNot to mention no stick shift. The driving test from hell in hilly Adriatic cities: parallel park facing downhill To be fair even people who have been driving many years do this by grinding up the clutch.
- meindnoch 1y ago>To be fair even people who have been driving many years do this by grinding up the clutch. What would be the alternative? There's no other way to inch uphill than to grind the clutch. It's fine as long as the engine stays below ~2000 rpm.
- foobarian 1y agoRight, maybe those words don't express the action correctly: the experienced way to do it is like you say, but it's a little tricky for new drivers. And then there is the noob way where they keep the engine rpm bouncing around 5k and slowly let go the clutch as needed. Can really stink up or even smoke up the street.
- jen20 1y agoSimilarly, when I did a US driving test (with a UK license), the examiner himself commented on the relative difficulty.
- thinkingtoilet 1y agoEveryone agrees to this, the problem is there needs to be a way for this to be done efficiently so it's not another regressive tax on poor people's time and money.
- tialaramex 1y agoI think the US at least does sight tests periodically? The UK still doesn't do that, you're required to have decent vision to drive, but the license renewals are just paperwork, pay the money and click a web form. There is talk in the UK of requiring sight tests for the elderly. Historically UK licenses required frequent renewal, when they were centralised for convenience they ceased to have a renewal step, and it was kinda-sorta reintroduced much later once they had photographs because of course a 40 year photo is unrecognisable. But because of the focus on photographs the renewal step is integrated to passports, and is a chain-of-likeness documentation process. If I look a big greyer than last time in the photo I upload, pay, wait a few days, OK, some mix of humans and machines says that's the same guy as the other photo except older, replace image, print new ID. Since it's aligned with passports (which also care about image similarity) there's no room in that step for like "Do your eyes still work?" let alone "Do you know what this fucking sign means?" or anything resembling mandatory continuing education.
- throwup238 1y ago> I think the US at least does sight tests periodically? Depends on the state because drivers licenses are their remit.
- bsder 1y ago> A requirement to start re-testing normal people in addition to the elderly would be a large benefit to society. 1) Are you going to fund that? Because it means a significant increase in testing examiners. 2) The data say over and over and over that the single best traffic safety enhancement would be to ban drivers until they are 21. People have to be in their 80s(!) before they are as bad as drivers in their teens and early 20s.
- hamdingers 1y ago1. The people who want to drive should fund their own testing. This is how it works for every other heavy equipment operator's license. 2. Sounds good
- dmurray 1y ago1) could reasonably be self funded. $150 per driver every 5 years is a rounding error compared to all the other costs of car ownership. 2) how much of this is because the drivers are young, and how much because they are inexperienced? If you ban teenage drivers, your 22-year-old drivers will still be inexperienced.
- Alex-Programs 1y agoIs that because they're young, or because they're inexperienced?