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Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google Glass?
That's a really interesting comment. I think there are battery limitations, but maybe you could design Google Glass with an App that triggers on abrupt physical displacement (IE a collision). I wonder if that would help. You definitely couldn't stream continuously because of battery and bandwidth limitations.
I accomplish all of my short-range transport by bicycle or foot, and I only very rarely will even ride on the main thoroughfare through downtown Alexandria, Washington St., because its practical speed limit is 40mph although the posted one is 25mph. Too many times drivers cut it close, honk at me to point out the audacity of crowding the auto-space, or slam their brakes without noticing my bike behind them.
Riding a bicycle on any street that has a speed limit greater than 25mph, lacks frequent stops (lights or signs), or has more than one lane is simply treacherous even for the skilled cyclist because you never know when a self-important jerk like the mystery murderer here will feel the need to shave twenty seconds off of their commute.
When will we stop tolerating the flagrant waste of life that occurs every day as a result of our addiction and worship of the automobile?
Probably the day after we stop tolerating the even more egregious waste of life that occurs every day from mass over consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and, well, food.[1] Accidents are only 7th in the top 10 killers, and automobile accidents are a fraction of that category[2]. If we want to tackle major causes of death, this is the place to start: 1. http://www.policymic.com/articles/24365/9-leading-causes-of-... 2. h…
Don't get me wrong -- I agree with your premise and with the point you are making -- but I think that, as far as the legal and public safety systems are concerned, traffic issues don't go into the same category as alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption is primarily self-destructive, whereas dangerous driving is not (arguably, someone wearing a seatbelt and protected by airbags is probably safer than someone riding a bike when they get hit by a car).
A good first step would probably be to discourage the superfluous use of cars. I passionately hate people who absolutely have to drive their cars over a distance they could cover, on foot, in thirty minutes, when they aren't really rushed by anything. Seriously, get off your lazy ass and walk, or at least take the bus...
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He was killed by an automobile driver. The U.S. is notorious [1] for bicyclists (and pedestrians) being hit by cars at a relatively high rate, because it prioritizes automobile infrastructure and speed (and culture) over bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure/accessibility/safety. [1] Not to say it's the worst, just relatively bad for an advanced country.
The U.S. is huge and spread out. Not everyone has the luxury of having all their needs within a 10 minute bike ride. We need that automobile infrastructure to get places so it makes sense that it is prioritized.
There is no reason we cannot create towns and cities where people do not require cars. New York City is like this (having grown up there, I did not get my driver's license until I was 25 and living in a different state). We can create local transit systems with buses, trolleys, and light rail. The only place where cars really make sense is in very rural areas, where the population is extremely sparse.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably the day after we stop tolerating the even more egregious waste of life that occurs every day from mass over consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and, well, food.[1] Accidents are only 7th in the top 10 killers, and automobile accidents are a fraction of that category[2]. If we want to tackle major causes of death, this is the place to start: 1. http://www.policymic.com/articles/24365/9-leading-causes-of-... 2. h…
Personal consumption is a completely different realm than dangerous systemic infrastructure decisions. I'll give someone the right to die fat and drunk on their own, but I absolutely abhor how our roads make murderers out of us.
People who drink themselves to death cannot be said to be "choosing" to do that in any meaningful way.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a really interesting comment. I think there are battery limitations, but maybe you could design Google Glass with an App that triggers on abrupt physical displacement (IE a collision). I wonder if that would help. You definitely couldn't stream continuously because of battery and bandwidth limitations.
On collision is too late. You need to know the lead up to an accident, not the flight of the device through the air afterwards.
With bike commuting becoming more and more popular, I'm guessing this will be a thing soon. And it should be, as this terrible story shows.
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Funny how the video also shows them running a stop sign. I think you have to follow lights and stop signs even in the bike lane, right?
Not necessarily. In some regions cyclists are legally allowed to treat a stop sign as a yield sign.
It seems to me the bike riders have a lot more to lose at that stop sign than any car driver who doesn't see the bike.
When will we stop tolerating the flagrant waste of life that occurs every day as a result of our addiction and worship of the automobile?