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Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

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Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#51

Post by theamk »

alexwhb wrote: post #16

While the methods in this post may not be a super accurate depiction of reality.. I did find it entertaining. Additionally I agree generally with the point the post is making. It is shocking to me that we accept so whole heartedly the risk associated with driving when, comparatively, it is shockingly unsafe relative to other modes of transportation. In the US somewhere around 41,000 people die per year from traffic a…

I think that analysis captures why people drive very well actually. Let's assume trains are 32x safer in US as well:

Car: 2 hour 32 minutes driving door to door + 37 minutes of death = 3 hour 9 minutes

Train: 2 hour 37 minutes on train + 1 minute of death + 30 minute early arrive buffer + 30 minutes public transport to departure + 30 minutes public transport to destination = 4 hours 8 minutes

Trains already lose, unless both your source and destination are right next to the train stations. And once you factor possibility of other things, like having multiple stops or how you have to adjust the schedule around the trains, the car gets even better.

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#52

Post by Nevermark »

whoopsie wrote: post #6

These numbers poke only a narrow solution. The optimal fastest way is to have the destination speed to you.

Somewhere sometime a dinosaur cranes its neck and thinks to itself, "I would most certainly love to see that beautiful comet from a closer vantage point."

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#53

Post by giantg2 »

konschubert wrote: post #42
giantg2 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I did find it entertaining." I found it a bit disgusting due to how shotty the logic/ application was, even if the methods were sound. "If you accidentally kill somebody on a bike you’re likely to serve prison time for manslaughter." I wouldn't find this "likely". You have to be involved in some reckless or negligent action that directly resulted in their death. It is possible of course, and does occasionally happen…

I you commute by bike you know that the risks are significant. I stopped cycling because I have a family to come home to. This has negatively impacted my quality of life.

This article and comment chain scope was on speeding risks to the speeders or personal vehicle occupants in general. The changes needed to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities are fairly different.

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#54

Post by bdcravens »

Never mind death, a collision (even a minor one, where you simply exchange insurance information) or a ticket will kill your "productivity" gained.

I used to be the crazy driver (and occasionally that personality comes out to play), but these days I usually just set my cruise to whatever is practical (in large cities, it's not the speed limit, but a bit higher to match others), and let adaptive cruise do most of the work.

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#55

Post by giantg2 »

konschubert wrote: post #45
giantg2 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"realistic political path to eliminate traffic deaths" Just a note, they may be able to greatly reduce fatalities (guessing since the tech is not fully rhere yet), but no system will entirely eliminate them.

Even a reduction by a factor 10 means thousands of fathers every year who do not have to explain to their children that mommy won't come home tonight.

Ok...?

I'm seeing a lot of emotional comments that are not following the comment chains on this post. Are you meaningfully engaging in the conversation or trying to hijack them?

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#56

Post by bagels »

tra3 wrote: post #34

I’ve learned “slow is smooth and smooth is fast” from shooting sports, but I find it applies equally well to most (all?) areas of life. When I started driving, I used to speed to the next stop light, change lanes frequently. I stopped doing this when I got older, partially because I see people that zip around at the same stop lights anyway.

It is also a phrase used in motor racing, hah.

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#57

Post by psychlops »

xxpor wrote: post #29
alexwhb wrote: post #16

While the methods in this post may not be a super accurate depiction of reality.. I did find it entertaining. Additionally I agree generally with the point the post is making. It is shocking to me that we accept so whole heartedly the risk associated with driving when, comparatively, it is shockingly unsafe relative to other modes of transportation. In the US somewhere around 41,000 people die per year from traffic a…

Do you have data to back up that trains in Europe are safer than the US (for passengers, pedestrians get hit a lot. Getting hit by a train is bad regardless)? The FRA refuses to let us use European light trainsets because they're "unsafe", because they're too light. They're worried about collisions with freight trains.

Why are we comparing US cars versus European trains again?

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#58

Post by Nevermark »

photochemsyn wrote: post #14

The safest driving speed on busy roads is the speed everyone else is going. If everyone would drive this way, overtaking accidents (often very serious injury-wise) would be eliminated. This means slow drivers are just as dangerous as fast drivers, and also points to why self-driving cars would greatly reduce highway accidents. Assuming they'd all be monitoring each other's speeds, they could coordinate like swarms of…

"Trains" of linearly packed self-driving cars are an interesting idea. It would be fun to watch the emergent ripples of inevitable flow disruptions spread through such auto-mata.

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#59

Post by giantg2 »

jcgrillo wrote: post #48
mysterydip wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally almost happened to me on a trip last week. Driving on I95 and two people were headed to change to the same lane, one slow from the left and one flying up on the right (across three lanes). They see each other and react at the same time, the one on the left going back to their lane but the one on the right, with their angle and excess speed, overcorrects and starts to fishtail. Their car is then pointing dir…

The "flying by on the right" thing feels like a recent (within the last ~decade?) phenomenon. Am I imagining it?

I've seen it longer than that. Although the frequency might be increasing as the other trend I've noticed is that overall driver quality appears to have decreased. It could just be in my area or I could be wrong, but that's what I've noticed.

Re: Speeding Slows You Down (By a Lot)

#60

Post by konschubert »

giantg2 wrote: post #53
konschubert wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I you commute by bike you know that the risks are significant. I stopped cycling because I have a family to come home to. This has negatively impacted my quality of life.

This article and comment chain scope was on speeding risks to the speeders or personal vehicle occupants in general. The changes needed to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities are fairly different.

Okay, on this narrow point, you are of course right.
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