Jedi Council Forums - The social acceptability of dangerous driving

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Author	Topic: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
MyKe1138 Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 12/28/03 6:18pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	When I get into my auto, I am doing so because I plan on 'GOING' somewhere... If I happen to be slowed up or stifled in this 'GOING' process, I will, on occasion, let the other driver enjoy his/her 'sightseeing' (or whatever it is that ridicuously slow drivers do) by getting as far away from them as fast as possible... If someone insists on pulling out in front of me in order to merely coast or ride their brakes, I might just be in the mood to ruin their day. All in all, I would not consider myself too much of a menace on the roadway, but I will not be victimized by other drivers who act like they are afraid of their own vehicles or of driving in general. That's why I am blessed to be able to drive the AutoBahn... -----signature----- "You're wrong. Soon, I'll be banned... and you with me." ... Sir "phrase deemed inappropriate by the Mods a year after the fact" of the Knights of The Sarcasm Table
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Stormtrooper_fan Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 12/28/03 8:16pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving - Date Edited: 12/28/03 8:20pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Stormtrooper_fan
	You can justify breaking the speed limits all you like but when you get in your car and consciously decide to put your foot down then you should be held responsible for your accidents. You're not just endangering other peoples lives but your own also... having attended the scenes of accidents I can tell you at 100mph there's not much left of you / the other person to send home! But then I've seen an accident where the driver who was speeding got off with a couple of scratches and bruises after killing an entire family including 2 very young children. This accident WAS a direct result of his speeding as he was going too fast to brake for a red light and he now has to live with that for the rest of his life... just think about it! People seem just to take it as read that people are going to speed these days. It's all part of the rat race lifestyle but really it shouldn't be accepted as the norm. You are potentially driving a murder weapon, lets not forget that although I would think you didn't set out with the intention of killing someone and that's why you should be charged with manslaughter and not murder because (all but a small % of cases) it's not premeditated. -----signature----- http://www.thebijoudragon.co.uk http://www.Km4KT.com Darth_Paddy_666 FREE F16WARBIRD
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alpha_red Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 12/28/03 9:57pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	All in all, I would not consider myself too much of a menace on the roadway, but I will not be victimized by other drivers who act like they are afraid of their own vehicles or of driving in general. How are they victimizing you by being safe drivers? -----signature----- Noli manare, manare in memoria. Fleet Junkie, Saxtonian Nightcrawler Yuuzhan'tar GM & EUC Senator \| The strongest bonds are forged in pain. I just officially changed my ship to Jacen/Nen Yim. Eat your heart out, slashers.
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anidanami124 Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 6:07am Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	MyKe1138 said All in all, I would not consider myself too much of a menace on the roadway, but I will not be victimized by other drivers who act like they are afraid of their own vehicles or of driving in general. alpha_red said: [blockquote]How are they victimizing you by being safe drivers?[blockquote] That's what I would like to know. People who driver safe are not victimizing you in any way MyKe1138. They are just driving safe. -----signature----- Dark Lords of the JCC My Heros of Music Epica 1. Simone Simons 2. Mark Jansen 3. Yves Huts 4. Coen Janssen 5. Ad Sluijter 6. Jeroen Simons 1)ROTS 2)TESB 3)TPM 4)AOTC 5)ANH 6)ROTJ
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Mr44 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 8:02am Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	People who driver safe are not victimizing you in any way MyKe1138. They are just driving safe. Actually, he didn't say anything about being safe drivers, he mentioned those who appear to be afraid of driving. This is certainly a major concern as well, which is increasing dependent on the circumstance. For example, if the average flow of traffic is 45mph, the person who is travelling at 30 will have more of a detrimental effect on driving behavior than someone who is going 50. People have to get back in the habit of considering driving a "community event." Instead of acting for the self, people have to return to interacting with each other again. -----signature----- When you enter a room full of armed men, shoot the first person who makes a move- hostile or otherwise He has started to think and is therefore dangerous... -- Colonel "Paddy" Mayne, co-founder of the SAS
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sellars1996 Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 8:30am Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	Excellent thread and observations, Branthoris! Driving and the way we drive are extensions of everything else in our lives and our culture now. We view everything we want as an entitlement and a God-given right. We want to get where we want to go NOW. We are too impatient to wait and to put everyone else's concerns and well-being ahead of our own. Then, when we get caught doing something we know we aren't supposed to do, we whine and say it's not fair because everyone else is doing it and there are people who are much worse drivers than we are. We throw a temper tantrum with the hope that if we scream loud enough, the consequences of our bad actions will go away. I wish I had a dollar for everytime I have heard people come before me in court telling me that they are good drivers with spotless records and blame the cops for giving them the ticket, or that tell me that they were only following the flow of traffic. One man told me this shortly before giving me a certified copy of his driving history that had a DWI and three speeding tickets in a 14 month span. (The prosecutor in my court always reminds people trying to use the traffic flow argument that her mother used to ask her if everyone else was jumping off a cliff, would she do it?) Driving is a privilege. Cars are weapons and a big responsibility. We can kill others if we are not careful. But people view traffic citations as minor because they are punishable by fines only (no jail time) in most states. Mr44 is right in that handing out tickets will not necessarily solve the problem. It certainly catches the attention of some, but only for a short time. We must as a society decide that traffic regulations are serious and must be followed, and lose this "It's only a ticket" mentality. For once, can we just take responsibility for our actions, accommodate others, and put the needs of other people before our own? -----signature----- Every married father's wish ... to live as well as his wife and children. The kindest words ever said about a lawyer: well, at least he didn't run for Congress.
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Branthoris Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 9:22am Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	It should be borne in mind that a technical breach of the speed limit is not the same as genuinely dangerous driving. Zero-tolerance enforcement of speed limits might actually increase accidents, causing drivers to keep their attention on the speedometer rather than on the road. However, if someone is caught driving in a manner which does put other road users in significant danger, they should be dealt with appropriately. At the moment, they'll probably get away with a fine and disqualification for a few months. A fine and disqualification is not a sufficient sentence for putting fellow human beings in jeopardy of life and limb, purely for the purpose of saving time. sellars1996, a very interesting post.
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Mr44 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 9:43am Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	Excellent observations by Sellars (as usual ) Mr44 is right in that handing out tickets will not necessarily solve the problem. It certainly catches the attention of some, but only for a short time. We must as a society decide that traffic regulations are serious and must be followed, and lose this "It's only a ticket" mentality. For once, can we just take responsibility for our actions, accommodate others, and put the needs of other people before our own? I agree, but with a quick clarification. Looking back, I seem to be suggesting that tickets shouldn't be used at all.. They have their place in enforcement, but they shouldn't be considered the primary tools for regulation The root issue we are debating here is this: can we just take responsibility for our actions, accommodate others, and put the needs of other people before our own? -----signature----- When you enter a room full of armed men, shoot the first person who makes a move- hostile or otherwise He has started to think and is therefore dangerous... -- Colonel "Paddy" Mayne, co-founder of the SAS
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womberty Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 11:49am Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	The prosecutor in my court always reminds people trying to use the traffic flow argument that her mother used to ask her if everyone else was jumping off a cliff, would she do it? But you must admit, there's a sort of collective peer pressure when it comes to speeding. The "flow of traffic" will force you to speed up; if you don't, you'll have angry motorists darting around you and you'll have a hard time changing lanes when you need to. Plus, often the people in your own vehicle will add to the pressure, telling you to pick up the pace, because they're embarrassed to be going so slow and they do want to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Sadly, it's just so "uncool" to obey the limits that it's nearly impossible for the average person to do so. And after all, if the highway patrolman passes you at 75 mph (without lights and siren, just going with the flow of traffic), what are you supposed to think about the 65 mph posted limit?
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sellars1996 Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 11:56am Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	Sure, you may get run off the road if you try to obey the speed limit and don't follow the flow of traffic in some instances. In some instances, the person observing the speed limit may be more of a hazard than the person following the herd. But it's never an acceptable excuse if you get caught speeding or engaging in any sort of illegal activity that other people are doing it. There would be no need for any laws otherwise. The bottom line is that speed kills. It is the major cause of most traffic collisions and fatalities. -----signature----- Every married father's wish ... to live as well as his wife and children. The kindest words ever said about a lawyer: well, at least he didn't run for Congress.
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Space_Man Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 12/29/03 12:07pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	So what do we do about it?!? 1.) Start impounding vehicles on a much more frequent basis; jail time for cars, where the driver can either pay the impound fee and avoid getting their car taken away, or go without a car for however long. 2.) Take-away the driver's licenses of repeat offenders. 3.) Stiffen fines, and give mandatory jail time to anyone caught driving without a driver's license (for those who will continue driving even after their license has been taken away). 4.) For states that don't already have them, institute specific "road-rage" related criminal statutes, and prosecute them as crimes -- not mere traffic offences. 5.) Institute state-run D.M.V. programs in which repeat traffic offenders are made to affix a large, distinct registration sticker -- or some type of specialized license plate -- to the back of the vehicle they will be driving, which identifies them to the rest of the motoring public as what they are: dangerous drivers. And when traffic complaints are made to law enforcement agencies regarding these vehicles, the drivers are automatically given an official warning; the accumulation of 3 such warnings will get their car impounded. 6.) Sorry to say this, but use driver registration tax money to put more photo radar (speeding) cameras along highways, and red light violation cameras at more intersections -- automate these things; it will give fairly incontrovertible proof (the associated photograph), and it will free-up officers for different kinds of enforcement. -----signature----- Seek first to understand...and then to be understood. ~ Stephen R Covey
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womberty Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 1:17pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	Start impounding vehicles on a much more frequent basis; jail time for cars, where the driver can either pay the impound fee and avoid getting their car taken away, or go without a car for however long. But as long as there is an amount of money that can get the car out of impound, people for whom money is no object will still believe they are above the law.
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MyKe1138 Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 12/29/03 1:25pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving - Date Edited: 12/29/03 1:32pm (1 edits total) Edited By: MyKe1138
	EDITED FOR BEING TOO EASY OF A RETORT -----signature----- "You're wrong. Soon, I'll be banned... and you with me." ... Sir "phrase deemed inappropriate by the Mods a year after the fact" of the Knights of The Sarcasm Table
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Space_Man Registered: Aug '03	Date Posted: 12/29/03 2:19pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	womberty: But as long as there is an amount of money that can get the car out of impound, people for whom money is no object will still believe they are above the law. But if we start that discussion, this thread will quickly become a: How people buy their way out of trouble in America debate, and that's a WHOLE different discussion! -----signature----- Seek first to understand...and then to be understood. ~ Stephen R Covey
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womberty Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 12/29/03 2:26pm Subject: RE: The social acceptability of dangerous driving
	Well, all I'm saying is, impounding a vehicle won't be any more effective than speeding citations as long as it comes down to an acceptable dollar amount in the offender's eyes.
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