Riding on roads

[LanghamP]

The study indicated a four time higher death rate with pedestrians between an SUV/pickup truck vs a passenger car, the mechanism of injury simply being the high front face destroying the head and chest versus the legs.

That said, speed limits have risen everywhere, along with engine power, and while autos have done an excellent job in better protecting their passengers, the number of pedestrians dying has gone up 50% since 2009 because faster moving vertical walls are hitting more pedestrians.

Interestingly, and not quoted here, the NHTSA did a similar study  with motorcycles sometime before 2005, and noted while the number of accidents did not ride, the number of fatalities had increased due to being hit higher up.

My personal observation is that SUV and pickup drivers drive "pissed", that is, they drive fast and aggressively, and run red lights and stops far more often that any other vehicle.

I never see people driving shopping carts with the same reckless aggression as autos.

[WARPed1701D]

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

The study indicated a four time higher death rate with pedestrians between an SUV/pickup truck vs a passenger car, the mechanism of injury simply being the high front face destroying the head and chest versus the legs.

That said, speed limits have risen everywhere, along with engine power, and while autos have done an excellent job in better protecting their passengers, the number of pedestrians dying has gone up 50% since 2009 because faster moving vertical walls are hitting more pedestrians.

Interestingly, and not quoted here, the NHTSA did a similar study  with motorcycles sometime before 2005, and noted while the number of accidents did not ride, the number of fatalities had increased due to being hit higher up.

My personal observation is that SUV and pickup drivers drive "pissed", that is, they drive fast and aggressively, and run red lights and stops far more often that any other vehicle.

I never see people driving shopping carts with the same reckless aggression as autos.

I agree that the problem is due to SUVs impacting the critical areas of the body vs the somewhat unnecessary legs. I remember when I lived back in England seeing a car whose hood/bonnet design included a sprung hinge mechanism at the rear that actually pictched the hood up at the back if a pedestrian collision was detected facilitating a smoother path for the victim to take over the top of the vehicle and avoiding the risk of embedding them in the windscreen. I thought it was a very cool idea. I've no idea if the vehicle was a production model or if the mechanism made it out the experimental stage. 

I've noticed that vehicle design/operation/testing laws in England are much more stringent than in the US when it comes to pedestrian safety in a collision. I had a Ford Probe and the popup headlamps had to be redesigned with a flatter leading edge for Europe to reduce the risk of impaling a victim. No sharp edges allowed. Tires could not protrude beyond the vehicle body. Vehicles could only be raised so high before anti-submarine bars had to be installed. Of course I live in Florida though so that isn't the best poster child for safe vehicle operation in America. I try not to judge the country based on the small area I have lived in. Here I see cars driving around with entire body panels missing including exposed engines, trucks raised so high that it would slice the top of my RSX off in a collision, trucks with conical spikes attached to the wheel hub nuts just begging to blend someone up in a sideswipe, and trucks with tires extending up to a foot beyond the vehicle body. Too many rednecks here. 

[novazeus]

i know it’s hard to relate because most people on the forum haven’t exiled themselves to their 325 acre cattle ranch and never leave the property on their euc because they don’t want to be separated from their dog, but i did go to lunch with one of my young gfs, about the only one that can get me to go out, and her older sister. 

so after lunch i went to the parking lot and turned on the touareg’s ac and put Bob inside, and pulled out first, one of my little s1’s. rode that a little on their about a year old silky smooth parking lot. all i’ve ridden on before is the pasture and my rather loose aggregate, resurfaced 20 years ago, crunchy road. wow, what a weird feeling.

then i pulled out my v10f with it’s factory cover on and started riding it around the parking lot while waiting for the girls to come out. 

first time for me riding on smooth asphalt.

first time riding in public.

first time seeing what my friends reaction to the wheel would be.

first time seeing what the public’s reaction was.

first time getting her on the little 9bot.

first time navigating around cars and pedestrians.

first time dealing with grade changes like dips at storm drains.

like i’ve said before, going outside the ranch, on public roads and paths, is a whole other set of skills i don’t have. all the different terrain that u encounter as opposed to my perfectly flat crunchy road. i definitely would look like robocop or iron man if i rode outside the ranch. but since Bob is gonna be with me, i can’t expose him to those dangers.

makes me wanna build myself a dog park/wheel park for me and Bob at the ranch. i can’t get over how different that new asphalt felt.

a pretty exciting day for my boring life. her older sister(maybe 30-31 idk just met her) was all about it and wanted to video me to show another friend of hers. so i’m all excited about their reaction to it. 

so last night i texted her what she thought of the wheels and typical of what i think the road block of euc’s is, i get this response.

”They seem fun but i feel like it’s hard to learn”.  Youth. 

it’s a starting point.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

And they say don’t let the terrorists win.    These vehicle terrorists seem to be taking over down there.  I’m glad we have some pathways here that are away from traffic.  There’s the rare time I’m crossing the road or scooting down a residential street to get to the pathway, but it’s not that busy here in the ‘burbs.

I guess if I were continually inundated with crazy news reports of bad driving, seeing accidents, and hearing about people getting plowed down on a daily basis that would tend to taint my view of my local environment as well.  People here are cell phone crazy too and weave all around, zoom through red lights, and speed like crazy.  It’s always a race in the mornings for some people to get to work.  I just want to make it there and back alive driving at the speed limit.

Is it really that bad on a day to day basis, or is it more a case of like minded individuals finding common stories to tell about?  Edmonton has a rep for being one of Canada’s murder capitals of the country next to Thunder Bay, but is it that bad?  @Xoltri do you fear for your safety living there?

What happens if you let the terrorists win and allow them to shape your perception of the world around you?

 

[novazeus]

the iphone is ten years old. 

riding my 2008 110 cu in harley davidson screaming eagle road king, i could peer inside cars easily from my high perch and see the drivers frantically typing away on some text that couldn’t wait.

if i noticed erratic driving, like on the interstate, i’d sometimes roll up on the drivers side where my bub’s duall straight thru exhaust was even with their window and give them a blast. i was not alone using this technique. it would get their attention.

that has always been a hot topic with harley riders about their loud exhausts being a safety warning device for the bikers. it does help making cagers aware of u.

[RayRay]

1 hour ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

What happens if you let the terrorists win and allow them to shape your perception of the world around you? 

[The Fat Unicyclist]

6 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

People here are cell phone crazy too and weave all around, zoom through red lights, and speed like crazy.

We're getting cell phones here in New Zealand next year too... While it will be exciting to be able to talk to people and surf the net anywhere, I'm concerned that people will be distracted just like you say...

[Xoltri]

On 7/14/2018 at 11:50 AM, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

Edmonton has a rep for being one of Canada’s murder capitals of the country next to Thunder Bay, but is it that bad?  @Xoltri do you fear for your safety living there?

No, maybe just somewhat with the way people drive but not for being murdered.  I feel it's a very safe city.

[RayRay]

A smart jacket from the car brand building so many trucks and SUV's they (practically) don't build cars anymore...

No armor because... why bother when you share the road with nothing but SUV's. (Not too smart.) ?

 

 

[LanghamP]

On 7/18/2018 at 7:22 PM, RayRay said:

A smart jacket from the car brand building so many trucks and SUV's they (practically) don't build cars anymore...

No armor because... why bother when you share the road with nothing but SUV's. (Not too smart.) ?

 

 

This is...perverse. Some things immediately come to mind.

--The driver of the vehicle should be wearing the jacket because he is the one who can cause the most damage when he takes his eyes off the road.

--Safety protection for bicyclists does not work well; the USA has the highest rate of helmet use while having the highest rate of bicycle deaths.

--If Ford was serious about safety, they would fit phone blockers and speed governors on all their vehicles. If consumers were serious about bicycle safety (many if not most are actively hostile towards bicyclists) then they would buy such vehicles.

--Ford would at least try to manufacture trucks that had some frontal protections towards pedestrians and bicyclists. Right now, Ford trucks are specifically designed to kill and injure pedestrians (that front is so masculine and sexy!).