>

i say this every morning when some fuckhead is riding my ass when im already going 70 in a 55.
​
EDIT: misread title. still, i said what i said.
This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.
Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
(For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)
Rule-breaking posts may result in bans. >

You have to trust the other people not to do something idiotic too. >

Unfortunately this doesn't always work, I was tboned back in November by some silly prat driving a van, he shot out of a yield road on the right of a cross roads and struck my front drivers side wheel arch, that shunted me into a car waiting in the left yield road. My car was a write off, only had it for 7 months by that point -_- ended up off work with concussion for 3.5 weeks. >

how many months? >

I'm guessing they meant 7 >

That is correct XD >

Giant. Metal. Death. Machines. And people go as far as texting, eating, doin their freaking makeup! While operating one. F*ckin hell. >

Right?! One loose tire, a bad bump, some idiot texting, an icy road and boom dead or messed for life. Roads are scary >

"There were car gods there: a powerful, serious-faced contingent, with blood on their black gloves and on their chrome teeth: recipients of human sacrifice on a scale undreamed-of since the Aztecs."
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods >

I wish Americans had high speed rail gods instead 🥲 >

the problem is that America is big.  Like, really big.  there are countries that fit in some of our states.  he'll, there are multiple countries that can fit in just one state!
Rail is not feasible for most of the country as a regular transportation option.  
I was 12 miles *as the crow flies* from DC.  there was *zero* public transportation. >

China is just as big and has an extensive HSR network. The European continent is larger than the USA and even has practical HSR between major cities. The USA could have invested in rail and public transportation as well but has made and continues to make policy choices not to.
Edit: I didn't think it was necessary to point out that I'm talking about the continguous United States here and not Alaska and Hawaii >

As someone with experience as a transportation economist, there’s so much missing in what you’re saying that makes none of those regions even remotely comparable for rail infrastructure.
The size point is absolutely huge, and cannot be understated.  The US is larger than China, and its a fuckton larger than the EU.
By land area, the entire EU has 1.634 million mi² of land for ~448 million residents.
The US by land area is 3.797 million mi², or well over double the land area of the entire EU, with less than 350 million residents so everyone is vastly more spread out on average.
Secondly, you need to look at population distribution in that area.  I’ll give you a hint, almost 90% of China lives in less than 30% of its land mass, all clustered on the flat coastline, (96% of their population lives in the East against the coast with about 3.5% of the population living in the southwest, northwest, and northern regions of China combined) and no one lives in the majority of the country that is mountains, desert, and inhospitable wasteland— unsurprisingly, there is no rail anywhere near any of that.
For the US, all you need to do is look at a population density map, then look at an elevation map and look at The Great Divide. 
Nearly half of the US is mountainous and the elevation range almost a full three miles between the highest and lowest major cities.
Cross country rail is prohibitively expensive for anything West of Texas, and the areas that already makes sense for rail or that are economically feasible for such transportation. . . Kind of already has rail infrastructure in place?  The problem is, its mostly only feasible in the flat plains in the middle of the country, and even then its predominantly used for shipping raw materials and goods rather than transportation of individuals.
In cities like New York, Portland, LA, they either have rail systems already, or are developing them (LA Metro has a massive rail project underway currently) but these rail systems largely don’t make sense to extend beyond the metro areas for these cities. >

What changed between the 18-1900s and today that makes it so that rail is no longer economical when the US once had the most developed train system in the world? >

There is a whole lot at play here, so I hope you will be content with an overly simplified answer.
There are a couple of big changes.  Aircrafts existing is a major one that cannot go without mentioning.  For the US, one of the biggest obstacles to a cross country rail system for individual transportation is it doesn’t make sense when air travel exists already.
Consider a few hour flight from coast to coast for a business meeting or a family vacation compared to the time it would take by rail.
For instance, from Bangor ME to Seattle WA is a 2500 mile/4050 KM journey.  It would take over 90 hours, or nearly four entire days (3.75 days to be exact) by rail.  The same flight is 5.5 hours long, or only about 6% the length.  Its also roughly half the price for those plane tickets vs taking the train; not only is it  significantly faster to fly, its cheaper as well over long distances.
Clearly, the rail travel time is infeasible for anything that requires you be there in under four days, which also makes the time involved prohibitive for most business purposes unless planned well in advance— even then, you would need to compensate your workers for four days of travel— each way— for an additional at least 8 days you are paying them while they are doing no work and providing you no value; OR! You could send them on a plane and have to worry about 11 hours over two days which is much preferable, and will cost you less money by far.
For families traveling, the time involved is also prohibitive compared to air travel.  If you have a long weekend off work or school you don’t want to spend all your time off just getting to your location (much less getting back from it!).
Additionally, there is a massive amount of investment into rail infrastructure that’s necessary to improve any existing rail network or to add new lines to create a new network, and all the active lines need to be maintained, evaluated, etc whereas the necessary infrastructure for air travel is largely already in place and being maintained by existing businesses and travelers and expanding air travel don’t have to worry about the terrain on ground level between the two locations. In other words, the marginal cost of a new rail network to a new location is vastly higher than the marginal cost of flying a plane to an airport near that location, and in the US at least, the airports already exist. >

It sounds like the issue is that its uneconomical for private investment and so private companies wont go for it. But is there something about the current US that makes connecting the country by rail again wholly unfeasible or is this just an initial investment issue that makes private business unlikely to act on its own. The government has a lot more resources, after all, and can afford to be much more forward thinking than the average publicly traded company with quarterly reports to worry about. >

Oh you should see how people drive in the Philippines. I have never seen these mfs crash into eachother even though they drive so fucking close together and is completely legal to speed to drive in front of someone if they’re not going fast enough and even when turning into a road they can go anytime and the other people have to wait for them to get to the other side. It’s also allowed to fit multiple people onto the bed of a truck and it’s so fun. I swear these fuckin drivers have fast mf reflexes. I have NEVER seen a vehicle there with crash damage, at least yet. >

Having driven in South Asia and the US, I don’t think driving is the same everywhere. In the US, you are relying on the boring predictability of things for safety which makes people complacent and not able to react to unique situations. Vs driving in South Asia (and probably SE Asia) is an exercise in being constantly alert and ready to react to every situation. One important distinction is that vehicles in South Asia don’t go nearly as fast as those in the states precisely because of this unpredictability which means more crashes but less fatalities per crash than in the states. >

I was getting picked up from the airport by my aunt and she takes this van and makes a left turn (from the right lane) across 4 bumper to bumper lanes of traffic. >

Jesus >

And we trust a brightly coloured stripe of paint will keep them on their side. >

"rules" >


rules of the road

More of a suggestion, really. >

You can pay for the privilege to not respect them, technically. >

Just like ancient Rome.
And every major civilisation since. >

I'm a confident driver, but when I'm on two lane total highways at night I find myself thinking "dark out, feet away from oncoming trucks is not a very life compatible spot to be"
Edit: It makes me a little uncomfortable >

You don’t feel safer at night? I do on a motorcycle, that headlight in the dark is WAY more visible than me on a bike in the middle of the daytime. It’s easy to not be seen, unfortunately. >

Hello, fellow rider!  Have you heard about the Kauppi Weave?  When approaching an intersection with someone waiting to turn left across your path, drive right at them and swerve back and forth.  it makes your headlight appear to flash, and they'll most likely see you.  you don't have to scrape pegs in your weave...  a couple feet side to side is plenty. >


Kauppi Weave

Thanks for this information. I'll make sure to use this when riding. >

We're trusting the average person not to stray across a painted white line and destroy us and our family. >

I‘m just home after a 3 hour drive on which i did some parts with 200km/h ,.. 
I mean yes - super weird - but isn’t life about the risks you take ? >

Sometimes I think about this while driving down the highway and need to exit and take the back roads. >

Also barely clearing a semi truck’s front end before they cross over in their lane. Stupidity at its finest. >

Nothing stupider than entering a wagon's braking distance.
You're asking to die. >

Yet, if I hit and kill someone in my semi I’ll go to jail until I’m cleared. And even then I may still get sued. >

Google an interstate (edit: or motorway, autobahn, etc) in your area with “accident” and the name of your state and be shocked how often huge accidents happen, often with fatalities.   I narrowly missed being in one last month and tried to google it when I got home and was shocked to see huge accidents happened on a daily basis. >

About 43,000 people died in automobile accidents in 2021 (edit: in the US).
We just kind of accept it.  Crazy. >

What do you mean we kind of accept it? New cars are safer than ever >

Only safer for their occupants… vehicles are bigger and heavier which is much more dangerous for vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) >

Sometimes, when The Anxiety grips me, I remember that the only thing keeping us from chaos is the generally understood laws of politeness and societal standards.
As in, the only thing stopping any of us from saying f*ck laws and driving on the wrong side of the road is the knowledge that people don't like when you do that. (And, you know, cops. But cops "don't like it when you do that," so I'm pretending it fits under that umbrella. )
Laws are fake and society is a veil and the illusion of time is a man made construct and I have a lot of unresolved existential dread. >

Remember! Reality's an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold! Byeeee! >

One time I was riding passenger in a car while I was on acid and I realized the whole system of control for these heavy pieces of metal rocketing at 100 km an hour is painted lines and colored light bulbs
Haven't been the same since >

That's because people usually respect them, because they don't want to die. Which is usually good motivation for humans. >

Or in a lesser severe case injured for life and be in debt for dozens of years. >

Anyone that’s seen Final Destination thinks about that shit every single time. >

I think about that every time I come up on a logging truck lol >

My 6 year old knows to never drive behind a logging truck >

In EU there is 2-3 seconds rule, you keep your distance in seconds, not meters. You search for an object that car in front of you will pass and you count to 2-3s. If you pass that object under 2s you are too close >

OP is talking about the cars going in the opposite direction — it'd be hard to maintain 2s from them at all times >

I don't think we have actual highways without a big divider between the sides?
Fastest road without divder i can remeber is 100kmh. >

There are plenty of roads in texas with 70mph speed limits with only a double yellow in between. So everyone drives 75mph (120kmh). >

And in Texas, they'll put traffic lights on roads like that! Insanity! >

Gotta love TxDot. Off topic but I applied for a position with the local TxDot, interviewed but didn’t get the job. Few days later the same position is back on the website so I apply again  and get another interview, lol. Did both interviews over zoom and the head interviewer had a smirk on her face when I popped into the meeting. Still didn’t get the job, lol. Few weeks later the same position was up again. I applied again but declined another interview. Probably didn’t help that I had asked about something in the job description and they had no idea what I was talking about. They pulled it up during the interview and pointed it out and they were like “oh….that’s not supposed to be in there. That wouldn’t be part of the job.” 🤷‍♂️ >

That's not a thing in Europe. You can only drive at highway speeds on highways, which are roads where a physical barrier is required between lanes of trafic going in opposite directions >

And literally no one complies. I've had people on European highways be 5 to 10m behind me while going 120km/h >

So what's the problem there? Speed limit on highways varies between 110 to 130 >

Lol i replied to the wrong comment apparently, my bad >

We all can agree on only one thing in this country and that is follow the rules of the road. >

Since when do people follow the rules of the road? >

There's rules? >

They be more like guidelines >

I always get an involuntary shiver when one passes very close >

The other cars don't bother me, it's the animals running all over the earth at night that scare me. Anytime we head north it's something I plan around. I was driving through south carolina at sunrise and it was like a warzone every few miles. Dead deer everywhere, and vehicles that looked they participated in a Twisted Metal tournament. >

Drove back to school one time, counted 6 dead deer on the side of the road within 20 minutes.
And we are not by any forest where it was >

I sometimes liken it to Blue Angels flying in close formation. You get three lanes on Highway and every lane is full but moving at speed, yet you are less than 3 feet from the other cars in some lanes. Then there is the the 50mph two-way back roads. Sometimes the center line there rumbles so you are aware you may be riding on it. >

Only thing keeping you alive everyday is the mutual agreement between you and strangers, to stay on your side of a painted line on the the road >

So weird, I learnt to drive pretty late in life and its the most terrifying thing. How do you just trust that the car isn't going to veer off sideways into you, its very stressful overall >

Now think about being on a motorcycle.  Every time I ride to work I think "doing 75 between all these cars should feel way more dangerous." >

This also bothers me. I used to work 30 kilometers outside of my city in a smaller town for 2 years. The roads leading there were super narrow, with lots of curves, leading through smaller forests, up and down smaller hills with really bad vision etc. etc.
I always thought if only one idiot decides to overtake an oncoming car on my lane when there's bad vision I have no chance to react. My health basically exposed to thousands of random strangers in the oncoming traffic.
Didn't help that I worked as a paramedic for those 2 years and saw a few fatal and almost fatal car crashes, often with the 'innocent' driver on the losing end. >

I'm a trucker, you'd be surprised just how many people don't seem to care that they're passing a 40 ton metal missile just a few feet away. We can see you watching Netflix while doing your makeup, Deborah >

This is why I never got a driver's license. I wouldn't trust myself behind the wheel. I know there are literal teenagers driving cars but still >

I am the same. I have no idea why people are down-voting you. >

Not getting a license won't save them from all the people that have one but shouldn't as long as driving is practically a requirement to get most places. >

If they live in Europe, driving isn't a requirement as long as you don't have to go somewhere rural. >

This is why we build dual carriageways (divided highway) and it doesn’t always have to be a motorway or highway to have the lanes separated >

Its amazing people are willing to trust the other drivers on the road! >

Oh, just like that same thought from the other day, just slightly reworded >

Yes. All it takes is one driver with high cholesterol who experiences a common TIA and it's a tragedy. >

I always tend to the outside of those lanes to mitigate tail risk.  If everybody did, that would save lives.  Tight streets even at 30-35 mph i almost touch the white line on the right side, especially when approaching other cars going the opposite direction. >

My phobia agrees with you. I do not drive nor own a car. I’m 32 years old. I walk or ride bike every where. I do take rides but it’s from two people only that’s it. It’s hard but I’m getting better. >

Don’t worry! You are completely protected from oncoming traffic, by a line of paint. >

I think about this all the time. We get in a chunk of metal hurling through the open space at 75 mph a mere 6 feet from another ton hunk of metal coming at us at 75 mph with trust that they will stay in their lane because we have some paint on the ground telling them to stay over there. >

If cars were first proposed in the year 2002 we probably wouldn’t allow them. >

When they were first proposed, they couldn’t do 30MPH, let alone 230MPH. >

Only because we started out moving slowly and worked our way up, if cars were invented today every street would have barriers >

If cars were a new invention we wouldn't be allowed to drive them at all >

I remember a Jim Carrey bit about this where he pointed out that we are always so close to just killing ourselves, but "luckily most of us have that little voice inside our head that says: 'ah ah ah! Turning the car into oncoming traffic is COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE'" >

Even a couple feet behind a car in the same lane is ridiculous. >

What’s crazy is you just have to TRUST that the people in the oncoming lane or anywhere around you will not or are not doing something stupid and or at least somewhat competent drivers. That’s the scary thing. It doesn’t take much to get a lisence and it takes a decent bit of stupid to get it taken away, assuming they are licensed and/or insured. Just mind blowing, that on a daily basis, how much of our world is based on some amount of trust in people we have never met to not get us killed. >

Don't know where I heard it but for every 10mph you should be one car length away from the car in front of you. I try to do this. 
Just a month ago headed to GA a car in front of me slammed into the back of the car in front of him going over 80mph. Because I was a handful of car lengths back I was able to slow and switch lanes. >

Nothing will de-normalize this for you like traveling to a country where they drive on the opposite side of the road.  I went to Scotland, my buddy picked us up, and the ladies sat in the back to catch up.  So needless to say, I’m riding shotgun in a VW Polo, sitting in my normal “drivers seat”, with no pedals of steering wheel, oh and driving on the opposite side of the road.
My right calf had a cramp from pushing the imaginary brake pedal, and I was as close to a full blown panic attack as I’ve ever been. >

I long for the future to be strictly public transportation. 
Or teleportation. I’ll take that as well. >

Us car enthusiasts need cars😂 >

You are supposed to be 1 car length away for every 10 miles per hour you are doing. >

This is way too far down. It absolutely makes my asshole pucker and my heart race every time I'm a passenger and the driver is uncomfortably close to vehicles ahead for absolutely no reason. Like why do you need to be that close? You might be confident in your own driving ability but what about everyone else on the road? If they make a mistake you're fucked because you refuse to give them some distance. And I'm fucked because I'm sitting up here with you.
It's worse when the driver is aggressive and throws rage fits, as if yelling or riding the person's ass ahead of you is suddenly going to make them a better driver or get out of your way. And their rage fit enhances my anxiety tenfold because I know they're not thinking 100% rationally. >

I sometimes imagine one of the cars just swerving into my lane and I get into a head on collision.
You're trusting that every single car that passes you in the opposite lane doesn't just decide (or accidentally) swerve into you. It's insane. >

I believe that driving is a normalized activity.   Given our current level of generally imposed safety limits, if cars (as they currently exist) were invented today, we'd never be allowed to drive them. >

If you’re scared to drive then don’t do it. Someone who is scared of driving and drives is a menace for others >

Don't understand why you say that -- having fear of the consequences of acting stupid in a car seems to make people a much better driver by default.
I have never gotten a ticket or been an accident in my 10 years of driving so far and some of that is just luck but I'd say a lot of it is just being afraid of dying in a car and being cautious >

While some are more cautious some tend to panic. Also they generally drive slower which leads to assholes getting angry and trying risky manoeuvres which I’m turn lead to accidents >

This thread is like a shit-test for people who actually drive or not, lol >

I’m 28 and more than half the friends I’ve lost up to this point were due to auto accidents. >

Eating a lunch that could give you lethal dysentery or ecoli poisoning is weirdly normalized. Walking on a sidewalk where if you were to fall backwards you could fracture your C1-C2 vertebra leading to internal decapitation is weirdly normalized. Riding in a train car packed to the brim with the most aggressive and deadly predator the world has seen is weirdly normalized. Sitting on your couch watching TV when you could blow a brainstem aneurysm and die in moments is weirdly normalized. Life is risk. Death will happen. >

Each time I see them coming, I give them extra room by going closer to the safety non lane side or mentally prepare to swerve into it. If the road doesn’t have one, well shit, I guess I die. >

Az-93 100 miles of 1 lane each way, 65mph...I call it white knuckle highway >

I once read an interview with a stuntman, from memory I think he was an Aussie guy involved with the original Mad Max, and he said the most dangerous part of his day was driving to work. The stunts were extremely well planned out, then practiced several times, then performed by experienced professionals, so there’s very little actual danger. And then on the road you have a closing speed of 200 km/h with just any old random member of the public that could be drunk or high or guessing how to operate a stolen vehicle or god knows what going through their head >

Yep and over 1.4 million dead from crashes is also normalized. Text and drive carefully, and don’t be late. >

Well, statistically speaking it's harmless and the chances that something bad would happen are extremely extremely extremely low. >

There are stretches of the new 99 Grand Parkway around Houston that are two lanes with no barrier. 70mph speed limit but if you’re from the Houston area it’s more of a suggestion than a rule. >

This is exactly why I've started leaving reviews for companies based on how their drivers behave on the road. Not trusting your business if you can't hire a driver who's competent behind the wheel. >

couple feets?
wow that's a lot.
we go by inches here on Indian roads. >

Well, most accidents happen at lower speeds on city streets rather than on highways. >

Because when you leave a single car length no one is fined oe arrested for cutting in front. >

Totally agree.  It always amazes me that people in cars will overtake semis at minuscule speeds.
Dude!  You are driving 5 feet away from a multi ton hunk of steel going 70 mph!
I always pass trucks, and other cars, as quickly as possible. >

But those little lines on the ground are keeping your brain from catastrophically ending yourself and another person at unfathomable (for your body, anyway) speed. Surely, nothing will ever happen to cause a driver to cross said lines. Surely. >

One twitch of your elbow could kill you and your family and the family in any one of a hundred cars in the oncoming lane. >

Also considering the oncoming traffic also blinds you, so it doesn't make any sense why its normalized. >

My freshman year in college, we had to live in the dorms. The people on my floor quickly formed a friend group and we had some fun times for the first few months. One of my new friends was the first to leave for Thanksgiving break. His dad came to pick him up. They were hit head on by another car driven by an older man that had a sudden medical issue. My friend died on the scene. His father was injured badly but survived. When I got picked up a day or two later, I watched cars passing us in the other lane and had the same thought. >

So many people are dangerously close to realizing that cars are extremely unsafe and that we generally shouldn't have them. >

Take away the little painted line and it would seem suicidally risky to pass an oncoming car that close, but as long as the line is there, we don’t give it much thought at all. >

Honestly just driving at highway speeds, if you think about it, the floor of the car is probably less then an inch thick of metal and fabrick that can be easily punched through or scraped away. Your feet are (generally) only about a foot or 2 away from the worst callus remover you could ever try >


probably less then an  

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Both times I gave birth, this thought sent me over the edge when I brought them home. I sobbed the whole way home. Ppd is no fun >

I hand you a shoebox and tell you that the contents are worth upwards of $50,000. It also has the capacity to kill or maim an entire family or all of your friends at once. How do you handle this box?
This is the question I ask teens and young adults from time to time when I hear them joking about things like speeding tickets or being upset because a cop pulled them over for running a red light/stop sign.
The typical answer is something along the lines of "I wouldn't touch it" or "I'd be extremely careful with it"
Then why do you jump into your mom's SUV and drive so recklessly? Do you think a giant 1 ton hunk of speeding metal is safer and easier to manage than a shoebox?
I'm not telling people not to drive, driving is essential to living a comfortable life. People need to learn and respect the rules of the road and understand the capabilities of the machines they are operating. >

Well it's supposed to be way more than a couple feet.  People just don't follow that 3 car length rule lime they should. >

People put a lot of faith in those little imaginary boundaries. >

A major highway I drive to work has been going through a huge construction project.  Last week, they closed off the original road and started routing traffic through a newly paved section.  To the best of my knowledge, this is the only section of highway in the city that doesn't have any kind of barrier or gap in the middle and it is a very high traffic area.  But its gonna be totally fine because the speed limit there randomly drops 20 MPH, and nobody would disobey public safety guidelines just to get home faster. >

Evolution only thought us that standing near a ledge on a high building is scary and not safe, fast forward movement most likely will never become scary. >

Here is even scary stuff to add on. One of my kids is a mechanic and the number of customers who have no tread (not bald, the tread is actually stripped of just showing the tube), non functioning brakes, broken suspension that makes the car float and sway, is terrible. Many people go in for an oil change, or some other engine repair, but have other massive safety issues. They spend the money on the motor first, since that pushes the car, but many can’t afford to repair the parts the keep the car on the ground. 
They beg people to not drive without fixing, offer to tow it somewhere else if they have a “cheaper” shop, throw in the oil change for free to allocate the money to safety repairs. When all that fails, they give the customer a 15 minute head start before any of the mechanics will get on the road after the customer, to avoid the accident they may get into. 
Really scary stuff, and seems to be the result of people driving cars further in the ground than the past, because of crazy used car prices. >

Well that’s why it’s the passing lane and not the driving lane… >

I drive for a living and think about this all the time, I also think about the other things we do that are weirdly normalized now that weren't even thought about 200 years ago right now as we are scrolling around Reddit there are thousands and thousands of people flying above us through the sky in a metal tube >

That is what freaks me out. Sitting in the turn lane at a red and you got trucks flying past you a mere 5 feet away shaking your car… >

Lanes are just a fact of the roads. It’s not normalized, it’s just what we have to drive on. It is dangerous, but that’s (in theory) what licensing and training (ha!) are supposed to mitigate.
Distracted drivers being normalized is the scary part! >

When I first started driving I had to go on a road that was 45mph with no divider. It terrified me until one day I realized it didn't. You become numb to it. >

My driving teacher taught me to avoid all potholes and little rocks like its a fucking mine ,dude would scream at me for not going into the oncoming traffic to avoid shit,dude fucked me up so hard i have to unlearn all of it before i can start relearning shit.or like stoping in the middle of the road and ask what am i doing wrong...bruh some teachers are pure terrorists >

I've been saying for years: someday we will look back at individually controlled vehicles in fear, disgust, and wonder. When the technology is perfected, automotive deaths will plummet and stay very low... unless capitalism kills us all first. Remember to pay your monthly fee to use your legally required seat belts /s. >

Yeah that shit makes me nervous and another thing is when I see a bus stops in spots where VERY EASILY a car could just plow through. Like it will be right on a sudden curve where it very obviously isn't a good idea but they don't put anything to stop a car either. >

What separates both vehicles? Paint on the floor and a tacit agreement. >

Yeah, in the modern world people are so insulated from risk and just the real world in general that they forget about dangers and that actions can sometimes have real consequences.
You can see this in how they overreact to mild risks that people would have not cared about 100 years ago. >

It’s normalized because normal people aren’t fuckin’ scared of their own shadow. Thousands of years of brutality and plague but apparently driving a car is the scariest thing people deal with now and it’s the end of the world I guess. The human race is so fuckin soft now it makes me sick >

I was just thinking this the other day as they guy coming at me was moving into my lane... >

Used to use this example when talking to clients about issues of trust years ago >

We all are kept safe by people willingly obeying a line painted on the ground.  Try not to think of it too much, you'll just get overwhelming anxiety >

Its also normalized if they're in the same lane. I look at a group of cars all tailgating and just imagine how many of them are fucked if the first car stops. >

One of the most dangerous things I do as a fire fighter is stand on the highway during a call.  
You have to constantly being watching traffic and looking for "outs"
Slow down.  Get off your damn phone. >

I don't drive on the highway, working for DMV has changed me forever. >

As someone who just walked away from a totaled car crash on a highway, getting back on any highway has been fucking terrifying. >

Vehicles are far too profitable to the government for them to ever be outlawed. >

My town is a 25 MPH zone and I CONSTANTLY get passed by people doing 50+. It’s totally insane that people feel the need to drive so fast everywhere they go. >

Fucking car-based societies bro. I have almost died several times and that’s just normal I guess >

Nothing stopping someone from crossing that line too… the number of people I know (I work in mental health) who talk about dying in head on car accidents is enough for me to only want to travel on divided highways… >

I go the speed limit or less depending on road conditions and weather.  I also stay in the right lane and at least ten car lengths away from the person in front of me.  Adaptive cruise control.  

"I'm in the right lane, get off my ass and pass me.  You tailgating douche-waffles." * >

I was once driving down a 2-way single lane highway in West Virginia. The speed limit was 60 mph and out of nowhere an incoming SUV starts to slowly swerve left onto our lane from afar, until he’s fully driving in my lane and coming straight at me at full speed. 
I had one second to react and I went into a sort of fight or flight state, I ended up doing a sharp turn left and swerved off the road. The incoming car never once looked to stop and kept going until cars behind me had to do similar maneuvers.
I had no time to see the other person, but my friend in the passenger side said the person looked like a drug addict nodding off behind wheel. Stay safe, you never know what other people can/will do. >

What kind of fucked up highways do you have???
In western europe there are strips of land between??? >

what dude. they're just talking about driving fast. regular traffic. >

They said oncoming that means the car coming from the opposite direction >

And if either driver moves the steering wheel a couple of inches the cars will collide head on. I sometimes do a double take when I think about this while driving .. you are literally a couple of inches from certain death. >

Duane Hall: can I make a confession? >

Now I raise you this. Imagine riding in a car. The guy swears he’s the safest logical driver around. Some driver doesn’t use a turn signal and that makes all driving etiquette go out the window for this fella giving me a ride. And he drives right up to the tailgate of your car to show that you messed up. Which to him is just a normal thing to do and is totally justifiable if anything happens.
I’m still trying to figure it all out. It doesn’t make sense to me. >

Its weird how we can sometimes be a good judge of character when we see a person like "hmm i don't trust you" but we trust some random person wielding a 4000 pound death machine to stay in its lane >

There is not a driver alive who can truthfully say that they weren’t certain that the oncoming car wasn’t going to run head on into your car. >

Yesterday I saw an upside down car on the side of the freeway >

I drive and still have the biggest fear of it. Like others have pointed out, you can do everything perfectly to the letter and no matter what you do, you essentially still have your life in the hands of strangers >

I always used the rule of thumb from driving school- how fast you are going is how many car lengths you should be behind. So if you are going 20 mph 2 car lengths and if you’re going 60 6 car lengths. Probably not the easiest thing to judge but I found it helpful. 
Obviously most people don’t do this lol >

Think about this all the time. People who tailgate are insane. >

A lot of times here in Ky, closer than that . Nothing too extreme though like I’ve seen on worlds deadliest roads and shit lol >

I’ve been in one highway accident, I now drive with the 4 seconds safety distance everywhere I go. >

Yeah, I came to terms with this hard the first time I ever rode in a vehicle high out of my mind. That guy coming up to the intersection is on a trajectory to hit us, but nobody flinches because we accept that the rules of traffic trump the rules of physics. >

Switching lanes at the last second, somehow hasn't become normalized :( >

We just trust that the person coming the other direction is as self interested in not dying as we are. >

Like when I go to my girlfriend's house. She lives away from the city in a mountainous area. The road to get there has a 90km/h speed limit, no street lights with a lot of sharp turns. Since it's pretty dark, you guessed it; high beams everywhere. I'm not even kidding when I say 9 drivers out of 10 don't even bother turning off the high beams when passing. Sprinkle a bit of canadian winter and deers crossings on top of it, and I have no fucking idea how this is considered acceptable. >

People say they don’t gamble, but they do drive. Driving is gambling with your life. >

Especially when you pull the ebrake and drift around the corner’s for your own amusement:) >

I was in a bad head on collision on a high speed road with just the double yellow line in between. Was in the hospital for a few weeks and had to relearn how to walk on my one leg which took about a year and a half. Happy to be alive honestly but yeah, some scary shit for sure >

I live off of a 2 lane road that has a speed limit of 45, but some people go 50 on it especially if they’re going downhill. Too many times has there been a nasty head on collision on that road, all it takes is one unaware person to veer off a couple of feet into the other lane then boom, two totaled cars and potential lives lost. >

This is the example I use to prove to people that we all have esp. >

TBF America gambled on cars as standard form of transport and we lost pretty hard >

Remember when you first started driving and had those terrible thoughts of “I could just steer into the other lane and cause chaos. I’ll live forever” >

I didn't learn to drive until I was 17-19 because I had that revelation at 14 that in about a year I'd be the only thing keeping the death machine on the road. And I didn't trust myself at that age to do such a thing. Also my parents were terrible teachers in general. >

It's the social contract, basically. We all agree to just be cool and everyone gets along fine. >

Where are you driving? I can't think of any place I've driven where you can go highway speeds and oncoming traffic isn't separated by a barrier or median? >

This has been made worse by people absolutely loving oversized trucks and SUV's. I am sure they feel more invulnerable on the road and drive without much care for squishing smaller vehicles and the occupants inside. >

As someone who drives for work in rural Australia where there are 60+ metre (200ft) road trains driving in the opposite direction. Yes it's scary as hell.
Especially when it's pissing down with rain.
At 110km/hr >

Ha, driving in the US and thinking you have any ability or skills.... >

Wdym “weirdly”. Should we not normalize it? Should this be a thing that we are astonished by and freak out in wonder and amazement and fear, this thing that happens all the time? >

I've spent a lot of time thinking about what future generations will judge us on and say "wtf?" Driving our own vehicles is one of those things. >

Always crosses my mind that an animal could run out in front of the car at any moment and cause a crash. Or someone oncoming could have a seizure or heart attack or something and just plough straight into you at high speed. I don't drive and I'm an uncomfortable passenger unfortunately too. >

A nice reminder cool things are possible, even in today's world. 
All the tolerances and systems that have to be in place to drive 80mph down the road on the regular. >

Going 10 over is being normalized. Just like people not using headlights in the rain and not using blinkers. >

Death/disaster is soooo close all the time if one tiny thing goes awry. >

You really feel that when you ride a bike on a high-speed road and some truck or bus passes near you with like 60 km/h difference in speed.
Or even better - when someone in the oncoming lane overtakes other car and it's sometimes much faster and as close.
That's scary. >

I am afraid of riding in a car on a busy highway. I went to a counselor about it, but most of the people I know think it's a valid fear, not an unnecessary phobia. >

It's insane. I was recently in a head on collision with a drunk driver who veered into my lane on the highway. My car is totaled and I broke a rib but I'm thankful to be alive with no lasting injuries. I think about it all the time now when I drive. It's hard to put it out of my mind and keep my cool when I see someone not tracking their lane very well. >

I noticed vast differences between driving in different states. Pennsylvania had the scariest roads called "lower road" where it's basically the road dipping. Roads in Iowa were safe and flat. Wyoming had the most beautiful views. >

This actually has turned into a full blown disorder for me, I literally get super anxious and panicky now driving interstate highways. So much so that I actively avoid them spending hours longer sometimes taking backroads/surface street when I need to get somewhere.
I’m working on it but not sure I will ever get back to a place where I can calmly drive hours on an interstate going 70+ with giant trucks, etc.