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US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

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21–30 of 104 posts

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#21
post #15

Great chart and SF downtown has a denser deep blue color; always suspected that is a more risky place for pedestrian.

It's only because there are a lot of pedestrians in urban areas, not because urban areas are more dangerous for pedestrians (in fact they are probably less dangerous).

Without some way to control for density of cars/pedestrians, this chart is quite useless.

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#22
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it was mostly in jest, yes, but I think it's more than just that, I think it's also that here on the west coast we tend to drive a lot better than people in New York ;)

Unless there's a drop of rain on the road, then all bets are off and everyone drives 80 miles an hour less than the speed limit.

Yeah, especially in 25MPH zones, then they just go in reverse!

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#23
post #15

Great chart and SF downtown has a denser deep blue color; always suspected that is a more risky place for pedestrian.

If you think SF is bad, look at Manhattan. What's with all the 99 year old deaths in NYC? Bad data?

Maybe New Yorkers just hate the elderly?

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#24
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think SF is bad, look at Manhattan. What's with all the 99 year old deaths in NYC? Bad data?

I dunno, Manhattan is sloooooooow-moving, I'm not sure how you can fatally injure somebody at 5MPH gridlock!

You've never seen third/second avenue with a green light at 14th street. Traffic rockets through there, except during rush hour.

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#25
post #13

I think a per-person version of this chart would be interesting as well, dividing the map into regions, counting the number of accidents, and dividing it by the number of people in the region. Placement of accidents is less interesting than chance you will have an accident if you live there IMO. Still cool though :)

East coast: death, west coast: not so death

Exactly, and the safest place to go drive your car through is the Grand Canyon.

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#26
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think SF is bad, look at Manhattan. What's with all the 99 year old deaths in NYC? Bad data?

I dunno, Manhattan is sloooooooow-moving, I'm not sure how you can fatally injure somebody at 5MPH gridlock!

Pedestrian and bicycle fatalities outnumber car occupant fatalities in Manhattan for this reason.

I saw a billboard last time I drove through NYC, explaining why the speed limit is 35 rather than 45. It basically said that if a car hits a pedestrian going 35, the pedestrian will probably live, but if a car hits a pedestrian going 45, the pedestrian will probably die.

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#27
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You probably said this in jest, but if you look at a map of US population density, it is nearly identical.

Well, it was mostly in jest, yes, but I think it's more than just that, I think it's also that here on the west coast we tend to drive a lot better than people in New York ;)

Something I've noticed in Canada - is each province despises the drivers of the province to their east. So BC complains about Alberta, Alberta about Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan about Manitoba... and so on. Seems the same thing happens west to east down there too.

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#29
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You probably said this in jest, but if you look at a map of US population density, it is nearly identical.

Well, it was mostly in jest, yes, but I think it's more than just that, I think it's also that here on the west coast we tend to drive a lot better than people in New York ;)

This is a horrifying thought. The west coast drivers in Colorado are absolutely horrid, I guess it's a good thing we don't have many New Yorkers then ;).

Re: US Road Fatalities 2001-09 mapped with OpenStreetMap

#30
Not quite sure yet how this influences my recent urge to start riding motorcycles.

There seems to be a (near) 1:2 ratio between motorcycle and vehicle fatalities. I already knew motorcycle riders were 5 times more likely to get in accidents, and those accidents were 35 times more likely to result in very serious injury. In my life so far I've been in one small fender bender.

This does confirm some of the self-imposed safety rules I'm planning. No car commercial road joyriding. Lots of yellow in the hills. Highway driving seems to be relatively safe, which is comforting. Extreme caution at intersections (look at the bay bridge on-ramp). No riding at night.

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