Re:Despite improvements, driving in America remains extraord...
by jessaustin on Saturday July 04, 2015 @02:58PM
(#9831221)
The Dutch are either much better and wiser people than we are, or they saw the results of cars taking over other nations and learned from our mistakes.
I'm fairly indifferent to automobiles, and a bit of a gun enthusiast, but I wonder... Do the dangers posed by cars and the dangers posed by guns in USA somehow cancel each other out psychologically? That is, some people dismiss the dangers of firearms by pointing out how many more people are killed by drivers. Others feel better about driving by saying "well at least it's not like owning a gun". To ensure that everyone dies of cancer or old age, we'll have to make big changes with respect to both firearms and automobiles.
In contrast in the Netherlands as car use increased and deaths increased in the 50s-60s, there was a strong push back, with groups such as Stop de Kindermoord (“stop the child murder”) forming to protest against ceding the city to the car.
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/05/amsterdam-bicy...
Subsequently the Netherlands didn't design completely around the car, has a very high bike share and is dramatically safer than the USA.
People point to self driving cars as the solution, but it's really just doing the wrong thing better instead of doing the right thing.
A better solution is to design our cities so that they aren't completely designed around the car. Reducing space for cars will not only make our cities safer, but it's also the healthier, more affordable and and more sustainable solution.