Posted on 10/01/2015 1:54:24 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
Traffic fatalities in the United States have been plummeting for years, a major victory for regulation (strict drunken driving laws have helped) and auto innovation (we have safer cars). But that progress obscures a surprising type of inequality: The most disadvantaged are more likely and have grown even more likely over time to die in car crashes than people who are well-off.
New research by Sam Harper, Thomas J. Charters and Erin C. Strumpf, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, finds that improvements in road safety since the 1990s haven't been evenly shared. The biggest declines in fatalities have occurred among the most educated. As for people 25 and older with less than a high school diploma, fatality rates have actually increased over time, bucking the national trend.
The underlying issue here is not that a college degree makes you a better driver. Rather, the least-educated tend to live with a lot of other conditions that can make getting around more dangerous. They own cars that are older and have lower crash-test ratings. Those with less education are also likely to earn less and to have the money for fancy safety features such as side airbags, automatic warnings and rear cameras.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Whenever a poor person dies in a car crash, a wealthy person must report to a disintegration chamber.
-PJ
1) They're poor, so they probably drive older, less safe cars;
2) They're poor for a reason, often because they make bad choices in life. Maybe one of those bad choices is to drive too fast or too recklessly.
3) They might be in poorer health to begin with so any trauma will affect them more severely than someone who takes better care of themselves.
4) Not everything is a class struggle, WaPo, Karl Marx aside.
Sounds like a new program will be out: Free cars for the poor people. Because it is a basic human right to own a new model car.
Many of the higher priced cars do have better safety features, but ever vehicle must meet the minimum safety standards set up by the GOVERNMENT.
So if there’s anyone to make a complaint and/or to assign blame, it’s to the regulatory agencies. Or Jerry Brown.
I’m not sure how you select the cars you drive near? At least in any moderate to heavy traffic situation.
The liberal solution will be to take away safe cars from everyone - except waivers for themselves - and declare accident equality for everyone.
Stupid people get wasted at family events, get into fights, and then to show how macho/macha they are, attempt to drive a car.
Zero chance, see my post at #10.
That’s why we don’t have “fuel stamps” as part of EBT.
Not coincidentally, cars that are no longer produced but are cheap to buy used and favored by younger people - Pontiac GTO, Toyota Supra, VW Rabbit, Mercury Topaz, Mitsu 3000GT, Saturn Aura - are also among the most ticketed vehicles.
Yup. Many lower middle class worked on their cars and maintained them. The gimmefreesh1t class does not - putting neat rims, chrome and new headlights on is not actual maintenance.
#gimmefreesh1tlivesmatter
Absolutely. No one ever wants to admit the real problem in this country.
Of course. The problem is that the only people who buy the little cars are the ones who don’t really have any other choice. The incentives just serve to push the price point even further down into the affordable range. The ads go out of their way to make these cars sound more appealing to this demographic, because the manufacturers (again) know that these are the only people buying the things.
Case in point: Even though there are plenty of folks out in “flyover country” with incomes little better than those in the inner cities, you don’t see ads for these little cars aimed at the “struggling farmer” demographic. Nothing about how they make for good, frugal basic transportation, nothing about ease of driveability for the little woman etc. It’s all about how hip and edgy the car is, how “cool” it looks and how much useless styling it has.
Waste 100s of billions on education eaxh year, you mean.
That’s only party true, mostly for the “Amish”. I frequent the local pick-a-part junkyard and it’s teeming with Hispanics, most of whom are probably illegal, and very few habla Ingles.
Poor, stupid people are less likely to wear seat belts and more likely to drive 90’s Ford Explorers with bad shocks and bald tires - the ‘61 Corvair of new millennium.
Where’s my gov’ment grant for $300K for this insight?
Grand jury to hear case on crash that killed sisters
Snip
On September 8, a Virginia State Trooper clocked an SUV at 77 miles-per-hour in a 55 mile-per-hour zone around 2:50 p.m. Before the trooper could stop the vehicle, the driver quickly accelerated and made a sudden lane change toward the exit ramp.
Takiara Lewis-White reportedly lost control of the vehicle and it ran off the roadway and struck several trees.
Bologna
Today’s modern cars NEED a rear view camera.
Due to high belt lines, small windows, huge thick C and D pillars, 8-10 side airbags, and headrests the size of big screen TV’s; you cant see out of these dang cars without a camera.
I hate new cars. Ugly as hell and too expensive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.