Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that.
(I do believe in fairies! I do believe in fairies!)
Fairies? Yes. But they should never be allowed to drive.
I’m gonna check into this thread. I’m one of those who let his license expire, and I now use public transportation. It is my choice. I live in a place where that works - sort of. But there are too many places where it would be impossible to get around without a car. There are also too many places (rural), where public transportation would never be feasible. Not enough “ridership”, no provision for nongovernment types to get their produce or beef to market etc. Then there are those emergencies, when you just can’t wait for the bus or train.
That’s a few reasons not to “outlaw” cars. There are other reasons too. They revolve around government interference in private affairs. Many of us, even those who choose not to drive (right now) do not want the government telling us what to do and how to live. The government has no reason and no right to restrict our freedom of movement in such a severe way. This would be Nanny Government gone to outrageous extremes. In the USA, most of us instinctively rebel whenever someone wants to exert excessive control “for our own good”.
Besides, if you really want to get rid of the killer cars, there is only one way. You have to get giant killer cats to eat the cars. Everyone knows that.
Maybe he meant sensillical. :dubious:
But then you’d need to have giant mutant coyotes to keep the giant killer cats from overbreeding and overrunning the place.
no. No. No. It was a MP reference, not a Simpsons reference. 
“But at what cost!?”
I still think the best compromise is computer controlled cars.
Don’t take away people’s cars, just take away most of their doing the actual driving.
And, as in the past, I’ll ask again: what are some reasons why we won’t be seeing those anytime soon? I know advancements have been made recently, but let’s name some reasons, worst case scenario, why it would take a while for self-controlled cars to be commonplace. For instance, would any industries hold them back, like oil companies hold back the electric car?
I really can’t think of much. But the thread that spawned this one was about a guy who was text messaging and ran someone over. I think many people are prepared to chock that up to an “accident.” But the first time a computer controlled car runs someone over, there’d be outrage about these vicious, computer controlled killing machines.
Probably the biggest resistance will simply be the common belief most people have that even though most drivers are stupid, they themselves are not stupid, and so they should be allowed to continue driving. And having occasional “accidents.”
Yeah? And how is that a compromise?
I like driving because I like to drive. Not because I like sitting in my car. Sure, the seats and climate control and stereo are fun, and the dashboard looks cool at night, but what I really enjoy is steering, shifting gears, and all that.
I suppose mandatory computer control of cars would be marginally better than the government-run buses, but not by much. I’d still oppose it more than I’d oppose pretty much any other possible government action.
I think the answer to the problem of safety on the roads is stricter traffic laws, better driver training, and stricter penalties for bad drivers. Until we’ve tried that, there’s no reason to talk about more drastic measures.
When I was taking my driving test a few years ago, the girl in front of me ran over a curb while making a right turn. If there was a pedestrian there, they would’ve been hit. But she passed anyway.
You really want Microsoft controlling your car? :eek:
Not to mention all the trades in which you must have a car or truck to do business. The reason the OP got pitted is that he overlooked so many things.
I a person that lives in a rural area and needs a car. I need the dreaded SUV. Public transport will not work for me. It will never work for me. I don’t want people to try to make it work for me. It would just be a gigantic waste of money.
Except that MLK’s dream would give people more freedom.
Your dream, however, would take many freedoms away.
[sub]And cost unimaginable amounts of money.
Ruin many businesses.
Put government drivers at such an advantage that everyone would want to be one.
Force many people to have a government driver as a personal driver. Just a little overtime don’t ya see.
and on, and on…
[/sub]
I’m not sure if more training is the answer either.
I’ve been driving since I was about 10. Mostly tractors, motorcycles and such. I was also allowed to drive the car on country roads (the parent would take over in the ‘city’). And work trucks at our family owned mobile home park. This made it pretty easy for me to get my license. I had already had a lot of driving experience.
I’ve never been involved in any type of accident.
My Wife got her license after college. I don’t know if anyone really taught her, but she was on the road right away with almost no experience.
She has never been involved in any type of accident.
It’s all about paying attention. And if the Planes and convery belt thread in GQ is any indication, perhaps a little knowledge of basic physics would help.
We’re constantly passing stricter traffic laws and stiffer penalties for bad drivers. It hasn’t worked. Better driver training? Nah. Americans are already pretty good drivers, about as good as we can reasonably be expected to be. We still get into accidents. You try to make getting a driver’s license as difficult to get as a pilot’s license and you’ll see true resistance. Even if you did, you’re still going to get accidents. The reason pilots don’t get into accidents all the time is because there’re relatively few of them, and there’s very little for you to hit in the air.
You like to drive? For you it’s a sport? Recreation? A relaxing activity? Fine. Go out in the country and drive, drive, drive. Go to a race track, get some training, and drive all you want. Inside cities, in most instances, your Fahrvergnügen is outweighed by the overall public’s safety & efficiency.
First, ‘chalk’ it up. As if on a scoreboard.
Second, you’re exactly right. Computerized cars would have to be perfect to gain any kind of acceptance, legal or social. Not essentially perfect, because the media will blow any failures whatsoever out of proportion, but perfect. If Aunt Minnie gets her hair mussed in a quick stop, kiss the computers goodbye.
I find these types of threads interesting.
Someone chimes in “Everything should be this way”
That “someone” never considers anything outside of their own little circle. That some people could possibly be different. AND HAPPY. These differences are necessary.
“Everyone should live like me”. It’s stunning that these folks are so self possessed that they don’t realize that there could possibly be people that live a little differently than they do.
Andrew, your ideas fly so in the face of MLK that it is a true shame to have mentioned his name in this thread.
Last I checked, there are very few farms or cattle ranches in Manhattan. The world is not all Starbucks and Wal-Mart just a block or two away. Not yet. And I hope to keep it that way.
I will admit that you did come off your high horse from the original OP. Good for you.
I will stay on my high horse as long as some folks refuse to understand that some people are different than others. I have good company.
Understand, and make no mistake. Not everyone is like you, or like me. That’s good news.
I think that you need to get out more and see some of these people. The SDMB PIT may be a bit harsh sometimes, but it is a good start.