Hacker News with Generative AI: Traffic Safety

Why California's dangerous drivers get to keep their licenses (calmatters.org)
The California Department of Motor Vehicles routinely allows drivers like these — with horrifying histories of dangerous driving, including DUIs, crashes and numerous tickets — to continue to operate on our roadways, a CalMatters investigation has found. Too often they go on to kill. Many keep driving even after they kill. Some go on to kill again.

Traffic Safety, California, Law Enforcement, Accidents

18 points by colinprince 3 days ago | 7 comments

Finland is painting deer antlers with reflective paint (2014) (smithsonianmag.com)
Every year, about 4,000 reindeer lose their lives on Finnish roads in car accidents, causing 15 million Euros of damage every year. And now, the Finnish Reindeer Herders Association is testing out a new way to make the large mammals more visible to drivers: reflective paint.

Wildlife, Traffic Safety, Finland, Environmental Issues, Animal Welfare

97 points by andrewfromx 5 days ago | 116 comments

License to Kill (calmatters.org)
The California Department of Motor Vehicles routinely allows drivers like these — with horrifying histories of dangerous driving, including DUIs, crashes and numerous tickets — to continue to operate on our roadways, a CalMatters investigation has found. Too often they go on to kill. Many keep driving even after they kill. Some go on to kill again.

Traffic Safety, California, Law Enforcement, Accidents

7 points by kumarski 11 days ago | 1 comments

Self-Driving Teslas Are Fatally Rear-Ending Motorcyclists More Than Any Other (fuelarc.com)
Among motorcyclists, there is a persistent rumor that Teslas are dangerous to ride around in traffic. Whether it’s their silent electric drivetrain, extreme acceleration, or self-driving technology supposedly failing to see motorcycles, every biker seems to know someone who’s had a close call with a Tesla.

Self-Driving Cars, Traffic Safety, Motorcycles, Tesla

347 points by NotInOurNames 20 days ago | 423 comments

Taller vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians, even at low speeds (text.npr.org)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Researchers have known for years that speed kills. Now there's growing evidence that height kills, too.

Traffic Safety, Pedestrians, Vehicle Safety, Research

12 points by everybodyknows 137 days ago | 1 comments

Too many people are killed by supersized cars. This new rule could help (vox.com)
The deadly consequences of “autobesity,” in 3 charts.

Traffic Safety, Automobiles, Statistics, Policy

13 points by rntn 138 days ago | 2 comments

A common urban intersection in the Netherlands (2018) (wordpress.com)
Can urban intersections be designed in such a way that motor traffic, cycling and walking flow smoothly and that the potential conflicts of these very different types of traffic crossing each other’s paths are made less complicated and less dangerous? In my opinion the answer is “yes”. Intersections are most important in making cycling safer and more attractive. They can be the weakest link in the chain that is your journey and one nasty junction can put people off cycling.

Urban Planning, Cycling, Traffic Safety, Netherlands

360 points by itronitron 156 days ago | 330 comments

the US gov't is finally doing something about giant pedestrian-killing SUVs (electrek.co)
After a decade and a half rise in pedestrian deaths, the US government is finally starting to take some action to stop huge pedestrian-killing SUVs.

Traffic Safety, Automobiles, Government Regulation

3 points by amai 191 days ago | 0 comments

There Is No Technology Fix for Car Bloat (slate.com)
The number of pedestrian deaths in the United States is skyrocketing. In 2022 traffic crashes killed 7,805 people on foot—that’s an 83 percent rise from 2009, and a 40-year high. The vast majority of those deaths involved a car colliding into a human.

Traffic Safety, Pedestrian Safety, Automobiles

8 points by rntn 195 days ago | 6 comments

With pedestrian fatalities mounting, US proposes tougher vehicle design rules (npr.org)
WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing new regulations for vehicle design intended to reduce the number of pedestrians killed and seriously injured in crashes on U.S. roads.

Traffic Safety, Transportation, Government Regulations, Automobiles

36 points by geox 228 days ago | 18 comments

US seeks new pedestrian safety rules aimed at increasingly SUV, trucks (apnews.com)
The U.S. government’s road safety agency wants the auto industry to design new vehicles including increasingly large SUVs and pickup trucks so they reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries.

Traffic Safety, Vehicle Design, SUVs, Trucks, Government Regulations

6 points by loeg 228 days ago | 1 comments

First-in-Nation Bill Requiring Cars to Warn Speeding Drivers Goes to CA Governor (senate.ca.gov)

Traffic Safety, Legislation, California

14 points by rntn 232 days ago | 89 comments

Tesla drivers say new FSD update is repeatedly running red lights (futurism.com)

Tesla, Self-Driving Cars, Traffic Safety, Technology

74 points by ra7 241 days ago | 105 comments

As cars and trucks get bigger and taller, lawmakers look to protect pedestrians (npr.org)

Traffic Safety, Pedestrian Safety, Urban Planning, Transportation, Law

33 points by rntn 245 days ago | 73 comments

New anti-speeding system coming to Australia is dangerous (carexpert.com.au)

Australia, Traffic Safety, Technology, AI

38 points by teractiveodular 247 days ago | 90 comments

America's High Drunk-Driving Limit (nytimes.com)

Traffic Safety, United States, Public Policy, Alcohol

5 points by bookofjoe 261 days ago | 2 comments

These Laser Lightshows on Chinese Highway Are Meant to Keep Drivers Awake (jalopnik.com)