Did anyone here about the 11 people injured, 2 killed eating outside of the Parthenon today?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is just awful. Senseless pain and death. And preventable.

If we had more infrastructure for alternate modes of transport, fewer elderly people would insist on driving (so would a lot if other people who might accidentally lose control of a vehicle). The man driving this vehicle could have been on a bus, train, light rail, etc.

If we had stricter emissions requirements for vehicles, we would have smaller, lighter cars that would cause less damage. We could also implement safety standards for cars that assess impact on pedestrisns, I stead of just evaluating how safe a car is fir the people inside it. The vehicle was a large SUV. Had it been a small sedan, there might have been fewer casualties and perhaps no one would have died. SUVs are incredibly dangerous to the human body because they suck bodies down and under the vehicle. Smaller vehicles tend to toss them up and over, which is still terrible but generally less deadly.

If our streets were designed with a focus on pedestrians, diners, shoppers, children, etc., instead of traffic, these incidents are less likely and, even if they do happen, less deadly because cars travel at lower rates of speed and pedestrian areas tend to be protected by sidewalks, trees, bike lanes, etc. Your proximity to traffic is much less.

While the man losing control of his vehicle could indeed “happen to anyone”, there are a half dozen policy choices here that contributed to these people dying. We could make other choices.

x10000000

Exactly the point. But, people don't want to take care of their elderly parents, never mind drive them anywhere. Plus, old people can be stubborn, and their offspring just don't want to deal with them. What needs to happen is a law that prohibits anyone over 80 driving. Period. Too bad that your children don't want to drive you, they have to step up.

You won't get very far with this when you have ageist language and enlist ageist stereotypes. The correct term is "older adults" and they are not a monolith. Plenty of people from 10-80 who are stubborn.

PP here. I'm an old person, so sit down and talk to me when you are my age.

So all older adults must be exactly like you, right?!?!? There's actually research showing that many older adults have a self-fulfilling health problems due to ageism.

I don't know what your point is - because this thread is about driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom is 90 and drives, one mile, to the local shopping center. She is scared to get into a taxi with a stranger.

I wish no one was permitted to drive until age 18 and under very strict conditions such as in Europe. I am a high school teacher and i cannot believe these 16 year olds are driving. They can barely read and have no concentration.

As a parent, my kids were permitted to drive at 18 and with the grades they should be getting.

Actually, it should be closer to 24 and not 18. There is a reason most insurance companies won't rent to under 21.

Do you have any idea how many ADULTS under the age of 24 actually drive as part of their job? Society wouldn't be able to function without many of these essential people being able to drive.

Of course it would, if we just provided reliable alternative modes of transportation to people who don't or can't drive. How many people under the age of 24 can afford to buy a car on their own? So, so few. We should live in a world where essential workers don't HAVE to have a car, especially because most of the jobs performed by people under the age of 24 don't pay well enough for someone to really be able to afford a car plus insurance/gas/maintenance. It is truly an unreasonable proposition for the economy to rely on workers being able to drive to work. It makes no sense at all.

[Anonymous]

It appears the vehicle was an older model Subaru. The newer models with Eyesight now have pre collision braking. I wonder if that would have helped here? I’m not sure if it works if you’re accelerating? I encouraged my aging but still in good shape parents to get cars with pre-collision braking. I also bought it for us with a teen driver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It appears the vehicle was an older model Subaru. The newer models with Eyesight now have pre collision braking. I wonder if that would have helped here? I’m not sure if it works if you’re accelerating? I encouraged my aging but still in good shape parents to get cars with pre-collision braking. I also bought it for us with a teen driver.

How is that a huge SUV that keeps getting mentioned here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It appears the vehicle was an older model Subaru. The newer models with Eyesight now have pre collision braking. I wonder if that would have helped here? I’m not sure if it works if you’re accelerating? I encouraged my aging but still in good shape parents to get cars with pre-collision braking. I also bought it for us with a teen driver.

How is that a huge SUV that keeps getting mentioned here?

Some Smart cars are 1900 pounds. You think that careening into someone would not kill them?

My God, you people are not just in denial, you are completely stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It appears the vehicle was an older model Subaru. The newer models with Eyesight now have pre collision braking. I wonder if that would have helped here? I’m not sure if it works if you’re accelerating? I encouraged my aging but still in good shape parents to get cars with pre-collision braking. I also bought it for us with a teen driver.

I don't know if that would have saved these people. Also, do you really want people on the road who don't know where the brake is?????

Simple question.

[Anonymous]

Start tossing the geriatrics who pull this sht in jail and people will wise up real quick.

[Anonymous]

So far there has been no determination driver’s age was a contributing factor. Driver could have had a medical emergency or looked at a phone like every aged idiot driving. Young men are awful drivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It appears the vehicle was an older model Subaru. The newer models with Eyesight now have pre collision braking. I wonder if that would have helped here? I’m not sure if it works if you’re accelerating? I encouraged my aging but still in good shape parents to get cars with pre-collision braking. I also bought it for us with a teen driver.

I don't know if that would have saved these people. Also, do you really want people on the road who don't know where the brake is?????

Simple question.

Of course not. But this technology is being developed because we are all fallible. Some are statistically more likely to be than others. I believe in taking available precautions. I hope anyone deemed unusually likely to confuse the two wouldn’t be driving. But I’m not sure we have a system that effectively identifies them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It appears the vehicle was an older model Subaru. The newer models with Eyesight now have pre collision braking. I wonder if that would have helped here? I’m not sure if it works if you’re accelerating? I encouraged my aging but still in good shape parents to get cars with pre-collision braking. I also bought it for us with a teen driver.

I don't know if that would have saved these people. Also, do you really want people on the road who don't know where the brake is?????

Simple question.

Of course not. But this technology is being developed because we are all fallible. Some are statistically more likely to be than others. I believe in taking available precautions. I hope anyone deemed unusually likely to confuse the two wouldn’t be driving. But I’m not sure we have a system that effectively identifies them.

Key phrase here. And I agree with you. Just saying we should not rely on technology to drive for us at this point in time, or at any age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start tossing the geriatrics who pull this sht in jail and people will wise up real quick.

Exactly. Call them what you want, they are murderers, and their kids are accomplices because they knowingly let them drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far there has been no determination driver’s age was a contributing factor. Driver could have had a medical emergency or looked at a phone like every aged idiot driving. Young men are awful drivers.

If you read the articles that are readily available, you will see that it is *yet another* elderly driver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If we had more infrastructure for alternate modes of transport, fewer elderly people would insist on driving (so would a lot if other people who might accidentally lose control of a vehicle). The man driving this vehicle could have been on a bus, train, light rail, etc.

That part of Connecticut Avenue has great and frequent bus service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It appears the vehicle was an older model Subaru. The newer models with Eyesight now have pre collision braking. I wonder if that would have helped here? I’m not sure if it works if you’re accelerating? I encouraged my aging but still in good shape parents to get cars with pre-collision braking. I also bought it for us with a teen driver.

Witness reports said they heard it accelerating really fast. I'm guessing the driver confused brake and accelerator pedal. Kind of like this incident in Rockville: http://www.rockvillenights.com/2018/02/kielbasa-factory-close-to-reopening.html

Pre-collission braking probably would not have helped here, since the driver can override it by hitting the accelerator. Also by the time it detects the obstructino, it would be going fast enough that it's too late to slow down to stop it.

[Anonymous]

I read a story online that the restaurant owner was at the dentist when the tragedy occured, and his son who works at the restaurant had to call him to get back. The owner said he knew the driver, "a nice old man" + that a server injured his leg jumping out of the way.

These stories freak me out. A good friend of mine was killed in DC 7 or so years ago walking his dog, a car jumped the curb + killed him + not the dog.