That would work as well as the reputation points did here on the forum. You can't stop people from doing stupid things, unfortunately. The problem is that these kids aren't growing up understanding consequences.

 

***The problem is that these kids aren't growing up understanding consequences.***

I agree 100% & where do kids learn to understand consequences. From their parents who drive them to school & the parents have not grown up & do not understand consequences for illegal diving. Root cause my friends is where we need to start. We need to be proactive at the get go (with the parents teaching the kids.) & not reactive after the fact.

 

I think we need to look at the drivers education in Europe, and in fact their whole outlook on driving. For example, per mile driven, there are noticably less fatalities and crashes on Germanys autobahn than on American highways, even though the speeds are much higher. Why? People actually concentrate on driving and respecting other drivers. I was in Germany last summer and the way they drove was remarkably different from the US. First of all, they always observe the slow traffic to the right rule. They also don't tailgate, and if they do they can be hit with a very hefty fine. They also see driving as the main activity while in a car, not talking on a cell phone or listening to music. Unforutantely, these activities are so ingrained in out society that I don't see them ever changing.
Another difference is the way they do their tests. First of all, I believe their tests are much more involved than ours. It also costs several thousand dollars to get your license, and can be revoked with many less tickets than here. I also think a single DWI and you lose your license. That alone is incentive to drive safer.

 

start a petition and talk to local house reps. if only we could spread the word to other automotive forums(and yes honda tech too) to make getting your liscense harder and getting your liscense taking away easier.(im really gonna bite those words later on in life....better the words then the steering wheel)

 

That's a broader DC problem. Everyone thinks they're more important than everyone else.


I think it's unfortunate that law enforcement focusses so much on simple "speeding". Sorry, that ain't the problem. If I roll by a speed trap doing a comfortable 80 mph, i'm not hurting anyone. Likewise, I've never... and rarely ever seen anyone... cause a major accident because they took a spirited snort down the road at WOT in their sports car.

I've commuted an hour each way every day for 7 years in and out of DC. I consider myself something of a traffic flow and driver behavior expert. What causes most of the accidents and near-misses I see?

1. Selfishness
Just like this jackass in the BMW... or the folks that don't want to wait in exit lines so they run down to the entrance and try to butt in, or run down the shoulder, or make it everyone else's problem when they miss their turn and cut accross three lanes or block traffic, or back up an off-ramp.

2. Inattentiveness.
CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING SHOULD BE ILLEGAL EVERYWHERE. 90% of the time you come up on one of those lane weaving flying dutchman SUV's going 5-under the limit and not signalling, it's SusieQ suburban housewife in her 6,000 lb Excursion her husband bought her to keep their *one* child safe, and she's yacking away on the phone. I've also seen shaving, makeup application, newspaper reading, complicated eating, etc. in vehicles going down the beltway.

 

Years ago when I was commuting downtown everyday I passed a gal who was eating breakfast. She was holding a plate with bacon and eggs on it and was eating with a fork.