https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-30/five-ways-to-make-u-s-streets-less-deadly?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Less traffic density possibly means higher average speeds as well. Speed kills for very sound reasons. Also the growth of gimmicks in cars contributes to the lack of drivers foccused attention.

Electric cars may need aggressive tread patterns to generate adaquate noise.Electric motorcycles might be very dangerous for the rider. If and when they ever appear.

I blame pedestrians for their deaths. They never occur to look before they jump into traffic.. or see a vehicle traveling and have some false sense of entitlement to walk out in front of cars.

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1993 e300
1995 e320
1994 e320
2006 s500 4matic
2004 Jeep wj overland
2001 Ducati 748
2004 Honda shadow aero

I don't think that's the whole story but there is some truth to that. I am amazed at the way people will walk out into traffic, sometimes not looking at all, sometimes in dark clothing at an unlit intersection. Several times while I'm stopped and waiting for such people to walk across, I look around and the nearest vehicle is 2 or 3 blocks away. So if they had waited for 10 or 20 seconds, they could have walked across calmly, with no chance of an inattentive driver crippling or killing them. You can read about people dying in marked crosswalks all the time.

I did a gig for part of one summer in SF years ago - drove a pedicab on fisherman's wharf. I had been a cabbie in cars, I was curious about doing it on a pedal powered vehicle. The money wasn't outstanding - $50 to maybe $150 on a good day but Good Lord, I got in shape. Anyway, one day I was hanging out at the far end of our route, on the bay near Market St. Two couples together were crossing the street at a crosswalk. On the first half of the crossing, traffic was completely stopped, on the two opposite direction lanes, the first lane was stopped but the second was open. I could hear a guy in a ricer, his engine screaming, as he barreled down the empty lane. The four people apparently didn't hear it, the lead guy in the group walked out and almost got hit, he pulled his tummy back just enough to save his ass. The ricer guy sped on.

They were talking with each other in animated tones about the dangerous driver. I had seen the guy walk out between two stopped cars, practically putting himself on the guy's hood, and this casually, w/o looking. I'm listening to this whining and finally said "those white lines won't stop a car!" They didn't like that so I rode off, didn't want to argue with their dumb asses.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

In general, you are required by law yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. It is the driver who is always criminally liable for such deaths.

No chit Sherlock rides again. The question is whether or not it was a good idea to somehow persuade millions of fools that the smart thing to do while on foot in our cities is to walk out in traffic anytime the urge strikes them w/o so much as looking to check traffic conditions.

I hate it when people walk out at the last second such that I have to hit the brakes hard to avoid giving them a rude introduction to laws of physics, inertia is one that comes to mind. A few times on such occasions I hollered at them: "Didn't your mama teach you to look both ways before you cross the street?"

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I remember something that 100+mph tickets went up a lot last year. So, while less accident, while the amount of traffic was down. The number of fatalities was up.
Also, to use a Foreign Country as a point, the article errors on the enforcement in that country. If you hit a pedestrian or cyclist in German, say good-bye to your driving privileges.
I will also say, if you have not driven the Autobahn, you do not know what a smooth and open road is. I felt safer doing 116 mph on it, than doing 70 on a lot of US Highways. Also, the rules are followed or the hammer is heavy.

It takes some getting used to to get your situational awareness up to snuff. The first time I was on one I was tooling along in the right lane at 105, and an SL zipped past me doing at least 150. That is some watch out, going at a good speed on a highway and some car passes you going 50 mph faster. But the surfaces were great, the lanes wide, and the sight lines outstanding. I found my comfortable speed to be 125, but you could almost see the gas gauge move at that speed.

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All lives won’t matter until Black Lives Matter too. Along with Asian lives as well.

“No, I don’t take responsibility at all.” - Don Trump

“The buck stops here.” - Harry Truman

Black Votes Matter.

Mine as I was doing 116 mph for probably only a mile or two, was keeping an eye on the rear view mirror. Once you see a flash of headlights, it get to the middle lane 'NOW'. Also, Left turn signal means get out of the way. I don't know if its a law or just a common curtsey.

As I understand it, the blinking left light can be considered ‘aggressive driving’ and is a no-no on the autobahn.

My father was a car guy (but he liked big, Detroit iron), and his rule was, drive right, pass left, and woe betide anyone who did not do so with alacrity. Check mirrors, watch for cops.

__________________
All lives won’t matter until Black Lives Matter too. Along with Asian lives as well.

“No, I don’t take responsibility at all.” - Don Trump

“The buck stops here.” - Harry Truman

Black Votes Matter.

Not true. Whoever told you that needs to read a few more books on the matter. Pedestrian needs to obey the rules just as much as the driver

__________________
1993 e300
1995 e320
1994 e320
2006 s500 4matic
2004 Jeep wj overland
2001 Ducati 748
2004 Honda shadow aero

What planet are you posting from?

I read about a traffic sting in Oakland years ago. A guy would wait at a crosswalk entrance until a car came close and would walk out when serious braking was required. Those who didn't stop were treated to the handwriting of a motorcycle cop on a small yellow piece of paper. Some people were not shy in sharing their sentiments. One guy said 'what you people are doing here is wrong.'

More to the OP, probably my favorite road trip ever, about 8 years ago a ladyfriend who lives in Todos Santos, MX, down near Cabo on the tip of Baja, asked me if I wanted to visit her place for the first time and then help her drive back to the Bay Area. Her only daughter was having her first child, my friend's first grandchild. My first thought was 'oh hell yes.' Driving the length of Baja in someone else's car with her paying most of the gas?

One aspect that was really cool, there was no shoulder for about 99% of the distance. This gave it a really spartan, clean look. On the outskirts of a few towns was paved shoulder and I was struck by how ugly it was. The ground right next to the road was often rough. You did not want to hit it at speed, not that I learned that from experience. You really focused on where you were aiming the car, especially when you saw a semi coming. The Spartan nature of the road enforced attentiveness.

Beyond that, the natural scenery was pretty wild. Far from hard desert, except for a few spots. I want to do it again. Word is you don't drive after dark. Banditos, cows. We had our one evening stop well planned - Guerrero Negro - a little seaside resort town on the west coast. Great hotel and dinner. We had just been on the east coast 130 miles prior. You can see some of that roadway from 1:29 to 1:40 on this vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbKFVATHbug

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Yeah, many states have laws on that. How many follow them. A few years back, I was traveling from IN to PA. When I was on I70 western side of OH, there were two Semis side by side. They went that way for several miles. Then one pulled back and got into the right hand lane, for a while. Then went right back out and side to side again.

After much highway driving I got my wife to understand the physics with which trucks have to deal, and to allow them the space to do so. Get in the left lane and let trucks build their momentum going down and use it coming up. Do not EVER ride side by side with a truck. We have powerful cars, when you pass a truck, put your foot down and minimize the time next to one. Make sure you can always see his mirrors.

F=M*A, and trucks have one hell of a lot of M.

__________________
All lives won’t matter until Black Lives Matter too. Along with Asian lives as well.

“No, I don’t take responsibility at all.” - Don Trump

“The buck stops here.” - Harry Truman

Black Votes Matter.