A very interesting video

[dobienut]

http://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-best-takedown-of-the-speed-kills-myth-you-1302382244

[ISX]

IMO stupid people cause accidents. Or smart people acting stupid. But then there are things that just take experience to learn. For instance, I've only been in one fender bender. It was a downward sloped hill and it rained and for some reason it gave off an optical illusion that traffic was moving. As I got closer it was apparent they weren't. So I slammed on the brakes and stopped, but the guy tailgating me didn't stop as fast and hit me. I have been going to that intersection time and time again and can never repeat the illusion. Maybe I know to realize its an illusion and to pay more attention to cars in front of me or maybe...who knows. But the experience teaches you things that you otherwise wouldn't learn from a book or anything since most teenagers don't believe anything until they see it happen. Another time it was so foggy I couldn't see anything and I was on a little highway that meets a major highway. There is a stop sign there and I didn't see it till I was 10ft from it so I went across the highway at 60mph. If there hadn't been a little piece of crap road across the highway to slow down on (after it was apparent I just went across the damn highway) I would probably be dead. If a car was on the highway I would be dead as well. Driving in fog as dense as that or rain so heavy you can't see anything is simply wreckless so I try and avoid it. I notice they have since put rumble strips before the stop sign there, maybe someone else did the same thing and wasn't so lucky. In hindsight, you can slow down, but what if someone else is doing 60mph and sees you 10ft before running into you.. It's a crapshoot no matter how you look at it so avoiding it altogether is definitely the best thing. In Europe you have to do a lotttt of skills tests to even get a license, something we sure don't do. I think that has a lot to do with it. I mean teen accidents are going to happen as they get experience or learn to stop driving drunk. By the time you're in your 30's you shouldn't have any more accidents. I also think they should retest every 5 years though. The written test is a horrible indicator of whether a person should be driving or not. By the time you have driven 5 years, you should be able to ace the driving test with 100% from then on. In fact, I would have a grading scale based on how long you've had your license. If its the first 5 year test, 70% or better passes. 10 year test, 80% or better, 15 year test, 90% or better...then leave it at 90 from then on.

[Mopar1973Man]

Exactly... Just like ISX pointed out. Like up here its not some much as getting to 2 vehicle accidents but 1 vehicle accidents or vehicle vs. animal. Like couple years ago a unlucky person up here in Idaho lost his life to a cow. Yes. A cow he wasn't speeding or anything but in the dark of night hit a cow at about 60-65 MPH and went over his hood and crush him. Other vehicle accidents up here include like in the video where he's taking about the yellow signs. Ok... I've got a stretch of canyon same corner 3 times running this year has had vehicle vs. mountain of course the mountain won. Each and every accident in this corner was in way excess of the mark YELLOW sign speed (35 MPH) and most like above the speed limit (45 MPH) as well. Even though this section of canyon is reduced speed limit people still feel they MUST drive 65 MPH down this narrow stretch of canyon road with barricade on one side and a mountain on the other. There is just zero room for error. I drive in such of fashion up here that I'm constantly asking myself..."What if a deer jump out of ditch onto the road?""What if grandma pulls out of the next driveway around this blind corner?""What if there is a car passing over the next blind hill top at excessive speed?"All these thing have occurred to me and lucky enough I was at or lower than speed limit and avoided a accident. Like Idaho laws states you can drive BELOW speed limit legally as long as you not delaying more than 3 vehicles if so then you must yield to the traffic. Typically the 2 vehicle accidents are because people are stupid and pass in blind corners or over blind hill tops. Or tailgate excessive close so the next stop you make they can't react in time and either rear-end you or take out the on coming traffic in the other lane trying to avoid you.All I can say after all the years of working with EMT and Fire Dept. Be smart and drive what is safe to you!

[hex0rz]

The best driver is a defensive driver...