People....We have to Slow down when driving

[Catherine Vincent]

I work downtown and I just witnessed a guy getting clipped by a car as he walked across the street. I heard a tap and looked over and saw that the car was turning left on the street the pedestrian was walking on and clipped him. The hit impacted him enough that it knocked him flat in the street. Luckily he wasn't seriously injured because he got up pretty quick and was cursing at the driver. The driver didn't know what to say but I'm sorry I guess, I didn't hear him. So as they were going back and forth, you got this moron that was behind the car blowing his horn for them to get out of the way. This all happened so fast. The pedestrian went to the sidewalk and starting calling 911 I presume on his cell phone. I thought the driver pulled away but he did pull off in the right lane and parked.

I know we all are in a hurry sometimes but we should all slow down while driving. That accident could have been very tragic.

[Captain Hilts]

1. We need to slow down on the highways to IMMEDIATELY save energy. nt

[Squatch]

26. Energy efficiency is a measure of technology, not necessarily speed

This is a picture I took while driving a VW Passat 2.0 TDi near Memmingen in southern Germany.

As you can see, I'm doing a little over 100 mph at 3000 RPM and utilizing 4.6 liters/100km. That equates to approximately 50 miles per gallon.

[Captain Hilts]

30. I know in some cases that's true, but most vehicles on the road save energy slowing...

from 70-75 to 60-65

[happyslug]

36. You trust those gages??? They were built for OTHER reasons than mpg

Even the EPA, when it does mpg test, does NOT rely on gas tanks or gages, but has a device that literally measures the fuel input as the car move along. This is the most accurate way to measure fuel economy, and under theses test NO CAR GETS 50 mpg (Even the Prius gets only 48 mpg).

You are correct as to technology, but only to a limit. It still takes more power to power a car 50 mph than it does at 25mph (and it may be ten times the power to do 50 mph than 25 mph). If the car is in its highest gear at both speeds, it will get much better mpg at 25 mph then at 50 mph (If it is a lower gear at the lower speed you can get the result of better fuel economy at the higher speed, thus you MUST compare speed in the same gear (and most cars can use their highest gear at 25 mph IF YOU ARE NOT ACCELERATING TO A HIGHER SPEED).

This is further impacted by by the weight of the engine that can go 50 mph (or higher). Addition weight for the vehicle (and thus decline in fuel economy) are in the size and weight of the transmission to transfer the power from the engine and the transfer case to transfer that power to the wheels. Most cars became front wheel drive cars in the 1970s do to the ability to make these last two parts much smaller and thus lighter. If you make the engine SMALLER, the whole car can be made lighter and thus more fuel efficient (and this includes a much lighter transmission and transfer case).

As to the Prius 48 mpg, even Toyota downs plays it, for in real driving people get much lower numbers (The EPA test is geared to stop and go driving so a hybrid likes the Prius does BETTER then on the test then on real life, unlike most cars which do WORSE then the EPA tests).

As to 50 mpg, even VW does NOT make that claim in the US for it refuses to have its diesels tested by the EPA (Under Federal Law only EPA tests can be used for mileage, by car makers, in the US). Mercedes, which does have the EPA test its Cars, only claims 23/32mpg (23 mpg City, 32 mpg highway). I do NOT see the VW's diesel doing much better (what Diesels VW does import is in a SUV and it get only 15/20 mpg).

EPA economy fuel test:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byfueltype.htm
Anyway, my point is simple there is no way you actually did 50 mpg at 100 mph on the Autobahn. Your calculations MAY indicate that but I suspect careful research would show something else. I once drove a 3/4 ton GMC truck at 25 mpg, but it was at 25 mpg in an interstate in Texas (No Mountains). Well built Highways improve mileage (less curves less need to slow down and accelerate), but I do not believe the Autobahn and th VW diesel let you do 50 mpg for any length of time (i.e. more than a few minutes) and as such unimportant to the issue of weight, technology and speed when it comes to fuel economy.

[Ms. Toad]

42. You are just wrong about gas mileage

I drive a Honda Insight. My current mileage (based on actual gas consumption and miles driven, not gauge reporting) is 59.1 mpg over a distance of 4842 miles. My tank averages from a low of 53 mpg to a high of 61.4 mpg. (The low was when my daughter was using it to practice driving between orange barrels for the parking portion of the driver's license exam.) You should be able to find my actual mileage and gas consumption here: http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/honda-insightcvt.html Click on my name, and you can see each individual tank consumption. I have two tanks I have not yet added, each of which was between 59 and 60 mpg (again, calculated by dividing the miles driven by the gasoline consumed).

The gauges on my car generally match my actual consumption within .5 miles per gallon on a tank by tank basis. That means that the instantaneous measurements have to be pretty close, as well (or the tank average would be off, since they are based on the same measurements). I haven't gone 100 mph, but I regularly get 150 mpg+ (by the gauge) for sustained periods at highway speed (55-60 mph).

If you look at the real numbers posted on greenhybrid.com, you will find a number of Prius owners whose averages are above 60 mpg. FWIW, the stop and go driving test by the EPA would underestimate the gas mileage for an Insight, which gets its best mileage on the highway because it is designed for efficient highway driving (weight/aerodynamics).

[bullwinkle428]

47. Great post! I've been to the GreenHybrid site, and also

spend time at cleanmpg.com - another great site for those interested in hypermiling. I drive a Honda Accord I bought back in early 2002, and have to say that if I had a crystal ball that could let me see future gas prices, I may very well have chosen an Insight instead. Even so, practicing the techniques I've learned over the last year have allowed me to achieve multiple tanks of close to 38 mpg overall, with a car rated at 26 city/31 highway - proof that those making the statement that "EPA numbers are unrealistic and can't be achieved" are just using that as a cop-out for an unwillingness to learn to drive in a more efficient manner...

[Ms. Toad]

50. Good for you!

I wanted to buy an Insight when I bought my previous car in 2000, but it was the first model year - and I don't buy anything in its first model year.

When my daughter learned to drive, and we needed to add a car to the family (I work 35 miles from her dance, play practice, etc that start or end mid-afternoon and can't come home to take her), I started looking for an Insight and discovered that they stopped making them three months before I started looking. :(

Because I wanted one so much (and they are very hard to find used) I broke several of my car buying rules (don't buy used, don't by automatic, don't buy a dark car . . .) I still love it!

[NutmegYankee]

51. You need to study lugging

Running about in top gear at 25 MPH will damage the engine. It's hard on the drive train and the engine. Look at the torque and speed curve of an engine vs. HP and you'll get an appreciation for why you just don't do that.

Unless you like putting engines in your car every few years.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Did it happen because the driver was going too fast?

Accidents of that sort, I suspect, are more often due to the multitude of things going on around them that both drivers and pedestrians can be distracted by.

[Catherine Vincent]

5. I think it happened because the driver was in a hurry.

It appeared that the pedestrian was almost to the other side, because the driver hit him from behind. It's like the driver yield for him to walk but gassed it before he could get out of his way.

[OzarkDem]

27. Happened to my son

Driver was in a hurry, didn't see that my son hadn't finished crossing the intersection, hit the gas and barrelled on through. My son nearly lost his leg, fractured his skull, cracked his palate and lost a bunch of teeth (he landed on his face). Spent a year recovering and still can't walk properly.

No one should have to suffer because you're late for an appointment.

[zalinda]

3. I HATE driving downtown because

people walk out into the street and don't even look. It's like the WHOLE of downtown is their sidewalks including the streets, and a car is the intruder.

zalinda

[Catherine Vincent]

7. That is true.

I work and walk downtown and see it often. A lot of times you get someone that will walk when they are not supposed to and others in a group follow because they are not paying attention. In this case, the car was definitely in the wrong.

[kestrel91316]

9. If a pedestrian is in a crosswalk and has the signal to walk, he has

NO obligation to look anywhere (though we smart ones do). The DRIVER is the one with the obligation to avoid hitting the pedestrian.

Here in Los Angeles, every intersection is legally a crosswalk - even if unmarked. It's only jaywalking if you cross in the middle of the street. If you're a pedestrian crossing at any intersection, you always have the right-of-way over cars - something that drivers hate and routinely disregard, unfortunately.

[CreekDog]

12. Absolutely right Kestrel

I am a downtown SF driver and a pedestrian and I usually blame the drivers for these types of incidents.

The worst and most common are when drivers have the green and are turning into a crosswalk --many of them don't expect to stop because they have the green. As a driver, when I'm stopped at a green for a pedestrian, the drivers behind me frequently honk at me for not going.

To me the best rule driving downtown is that if I can't be sure that I'm not going to hit anybody, I slow down or even stop. It frustrates me that people expect to drive as fast downtown as in the suburbs.

[zalinda]

15. I'm not talking intersections

I'm saying that they will cross in the middle of the block, on a diagonal path, like it is a sidewalk. And, yes I know about stopping at a crosswalk, that's a given. But they will dart out of between parked cars, from stopped buses or anytime they damn well want to cross. I am surprised that more people haven't been hit, but then we have a small downtown. There is probably a traffic light at each intersection, now that I think about it, another reason to avoid downtown.

zalinda

[meegbear]

10. I hear yah!

There are people in my city who will cross against the light, with traffic moving, because they know cars'll stop; I drive and swerve around then.

If you are at a crosswalk and/or there is a break in traffic, fine. But if you walk right in, I won't shed a tear if the Public Works Department is hosing you off the intersection.

[bobbolink]

17. Downtown drivers should be required to WALK for over a month downtown

before being allowed to drive there.

Then, maybe, they'd understand what it's like!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Pedestrians have the right of way.

In cross walks they have the right of way. You have to stop and let them cross. Not just let them cross your lane, you have to stop and let them get all the way across the road. Even if it's an unmarked crosswalk, you have to yield to the pedestrian.

You do not get to speed up and blast through the crosswalk before they make it off the curb. You do not get to turn your head completely sideways and pretend you did not see them. Pedestrians are not stupid.

Pedestrians have the right of way.

[CreekDog]

13. In fact, if you don't stop while a pedestrian is crossing a crosswalk

Even though you don't hit them or come near them, you can get a ticket in California.

And you should.

[eppur_se_muova]

39. MD is almost the same ... ped must be "out of your lane" before you can proceed. nt

[high density]

29. Pedestrians also need to realize that drivers can not predict

when pedestrians are going to leap out into the road and decide to utilize the crosswalk. I stop for people waiting on the crosswalk, but I do get annoyed by idiot pedestrians who expect drivers to clamp on their brakes immediately to let them pass. Give the cars a few seconds to respond and brake nicely.

[RogueBandit]

6. Not enforcing laws, charging a fee

I don't think we're enforcing any traffic laws. Instead, we are charging a fee for violating them. Enforcement would require contradicting the car industry advertising that sells fast, faster and fastest. You know the ads I'm talking about. But that requires a change in attitude and behavior, something the corporatists aren't really interested in.

[JSK]

8. Speaking of tragic accidents...

There was a terrible one yesterday on 19th Ave in San Francisco. A 21 year old girl standing on the sidewalk was killed as she was pinned against a pole by an SUV. It jumped onto the sidewalk after hitting another car which turned left in front of it.

People drive like maniacs down 19th Ave, which is actually CA Hwy 1. There is huge pedestrian activity especially in the area near SF State Univ and I always wondered why there aren't even "walk/don't walk" signals on a street where the cars are traveling 60 mph. And there was no left turn arrow at this intersection either. This video explains that even though it is a city street, Hwy 1 is under the jurisdiction of the State of Ca, not the city of SF, hence the fighting for the last 20 years, 1000 injuries and 13 deaths since 2000.

http://www.kron4.com/global/Story.asp?s=7161128

[CreekDog]

14. 19th and Holloway in SF is a terrible intersection

But there's no reason anyone should die there if cars and streetcars were going slow enough.

Obviously if the two cars hit in the middle of the intersection (it's a six lane boulevard) and one of them kills somebody on the curb, then one of those cars or both are going wayyyyyyy to fast for the road and conditions.

I don't know how I got out of SF State alive crossing 19th Avenue everyday.

[emilyg]

11. And use our signals - please.

And stop texting.

[bobbolink]

16. Yet there are DUers bad-mouthing blind people for being afraid of cars they can't hear.

It just beats all.

:mad:

[Javaman]

18. About 5 years ago, I saw a hit and run.

This woman was crossing the street walking from west to east. The driver, wanting to make a right on red was looking east and didn't see her.

He starts to pull out and doesn't see the woman until the last possible second. She didn't get hit. but I see that they have made eye contact and the woman collects herself and begins to walk again when the guy floors it and hits her. Knocking her on the hood of his car!

She slides off the hood to the front of the car (it was some sort of sports car with a low sloping front) gets up to wobbly feet and sort of walks over to the drivers side. She yells at the guy, "you saw me! why did you hit me???"

The driver steps on the gas, peels out through the light and speeds down the road all of 20 feet right into 5pm traffic. Never understood that move.

I pull over, tell the woman I saw the whole thing, gave her my card if she needed a witness and I got the guys license plate number.

Later on when the detective came to interview me, he told me that the driver was contesting the events. There were 4 other witnesses.

Some people are just clods.

[ljm2002]

19. Good reminder...

...I have seen several close calls that go like this: there is a pedestrian in the crosswalk, so the driver at the head of the line slows and stops. The driver behind them doesn't see the pedestrian, and is PO'd that someone stopped the flow. So they jerk their wheel to the right to swerve around the car in front -- heading right for the pedestrian who has cleared the first car and is feeling quite safe as they saw everyone had stopped for them.

I do know of one pedestrian who was nearly killed in that exact scenario, a friend of a friend: she was thrown 50 feet, had broken bones and a broken jaw that had to be wired shut for months while she recovered. Ironically, she was a cooking instructor by trade.

If you don't know why the car in front of you stopped, and if for some reason you feel you must proceed anyway -- PLEASE proceed slowly and with extra caution until you have full visibility. Even if they stopped at a green light -- often it is children, or the elderly or infirm who did not make it across in time. Just remind yourself how you would feel if by such an action you actually killed or seriously maimed someone. It ain't worth it.

[Catherine Vincent]

24. Very good post. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

20. It's about being aware.

[movie_girl99]

21. it seems like a crap shoot these days

just to get on N. Texas hi-ways & freeways. We have a guy in our office who just moved here from Portland..he comes in cursing everyday because of the traffic and idiot drivers. Ive driven in many states and I have to say Texas is the worst by far!!!!

[Buns_of_Fire]

45. I wouldn't hang an undue amount of calumny on Texans...

I, too, have driven in several states (including Texas), in both metro and rural areas. All tend to have their quirks. The one conclusion I've come up with is that ALL drivers are jerks.

(Except me, of course, since I'm practically perfect in every way O8) unless you have the temerity to want to be in MY lane while I'M using it! :grr: )

[Captain Hilts]

22. People drive faster than ever, everywhere. It's Pedestrian Polo out there. nt

[judaspriestess]

23. we've got speeding ass fools here in Vegas

they swerve around me (I'm typically, in the middle lane) and race to pass me only to slam on their brakes at the red light and I catch up with them. I don't drive slow either, I drive the speed limit or 5 miles over typically. Its so fucking dumb and unnecessary. People here drive 60mph in a 45 no exaggeration.

[flvegan]

25. This is why all pedestrians should have Concealed Carry Permits.

No, seriously though, I don't think this is a speed issue, I think it's a "pay the fuck attention" issue. Granted, lots of folks drive too fast, or at least too fast for their ability. I think that it's the other "distractions" that cause so much of the problem.

[ecstatic]

28. So true. I saw a pedestrian almost get hit today too. nt

[Hippo_Tron]

31. The interstate is the only place that I go over the speed limit

In highly residential areas I try to go under it in case there are kids that run out into the street.

[riverdeep]

32. I've stopped speeding.

Up until a few years ago, I was a speedy driver. I paid great attention to where I was going and what was going on around me, and fortunately never had close calls, but it was probably a matter of time. I couldn't stand that the drivers around me were going so slow and I was always looking for a way to charge ahead. But, I realized it wasn't worth it. I was in constant stress. My brakes were wearing out faster, and I was filling up more often. And all those cars that I passed, they would catch up to me at the next light.

Now I'm the one cooly going the speed limit with some impatient bastard running at my tail. I try to stay in the right lane, and don't 'box' them out with another car. But if I've got no way to let them pass, I'm not speeding up. I'm much happier this way.

[Telly Savalas]

33. We need to be more aggressive about suspending licenses

If someone is driving in a manner that endangers the safety of others, they shouldn't be on the road. For instance, the driver in the OP should get at least 6 to 12 month suspension (assuming this was the first offense - a second instance like this should result in a lifetime driving ban). There's no fucking excuse for hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

[Catshrink]

34. I drove by a fatality yesterday.

It was on my way to work -- the sheet was covering a body in the middle of the road. Later I learned that one of the roadway workers was hit by a car as she worked by the side of the road.

It's a sobering sight, that's for sure!

[mudesi]

35. I'll agree with that only if they remove limits on the highway

The far left lane ought not to have a speed limit. People, for the love of God, please move to the right if you're going to drive slow!

[happyslug]

38. Are you talking about interstates or highways in general?

I can see that rule on Interstates and other limited access highways, but NOT on four lane roads that are NOT limited access. On such roads I have to frequently turn left, and if I am a slow car that means people have to pass me on the right. When I am on my moped, I frequently have to be in the left lane just to avoid the right lane turning onto an interstate. I am sorry, given modern traffic conditions AND Volume, the days of slower traffic staying on the left is long gone. Often you HAVE to get in the left lane just to leave people off and on the interstates AND to prepare yourself for a left turn (even on Interstates, I have several such left hand turns on the interstates in Western PA). It is a good idea for slower traffic to be on the right, but faster traffic MUST understand they may have to leave such traffic into the Left lane for such traffic to flow AND to make turns.

[happyslug]

37. You do NOT mention the City, we still joke about the last two pedestrians killed In Pittsburgh.

The two ladies would NOT have been killed had they been jaywalking, instead they waited for a light to change and when it changed they walked in front of a bus, which hit both of them. First pedestrian deaths in Decades in Downtown Pittsburgh.

As to crossing at intersections, you quickly learn not to, it is easier to cross in the middle of the street when traffic is at a standstill (and it frequently is, but only for a few minutes at a time). The old joke about Downtown Pittsburgh was it was design for you to tie up your canoe on the River banks and walk into town. Streetcars were a good retrofit, cars were a bad retrofit. As to drivers, as one commentator said, followed most jaywalkers you can trace them to their cars. Thus car drives in Downtown Pittsburgh are geared to watch for jaywalkers, thus jaywalkers are rarely hit and even rare for one of them to be killed.

[kdpeters]

40. We also have to start watching out for drivers when we're pedestrians

It's great thing that the law gives right of way to pedestrians. It's a terrible thing for pedestrians to rely on that fact to protect them in traffic. When I lived in SF, I can't begin to count the number of stupid pedestrians walking right into an intersection without so much as a pause or a glance and even doing so while walking with children or pushing a baby in a stroller out ahead of them. I saw so many people in near miss situations that non-oblivious pedestrians would have avoided. Invariably, the more oblivious, the louder and angrier they rant about pedestrian right of way. This is true but it doesn't protect us from the damage a car can inflict on an unprotected human body even at very slow speeds. Please be careful when walking as well as when driving and take responsibility for your own safety as well as for others.

[taterguy]

41. What's this "we" shit? How many pedestrians am I gonna kill on my bicycle?

[bullwinkle428]

48. I hit 36-37 mph on my bike regularly going down one particular hill

on my usual loop - I wouldn't want to be the unwitting pedestrian stepping out in front of the bike when I reach maximum speed at the bottom of that hill!

[donsu]

43. we need to stop driving one day a week

tick, tick, tick

[taterguy]

46. Why?

[porphyrian]

44. No, we have to pay attention to our surroundings when we drive.

It seems obvious, but it's something people do less and less behind the wheel. If people are paying attention to their surroundings, regardless of how fast they are going (and, if they are paying attention, that will likely be closer to the speed limit anyway), they will have some time to react to anything unexpected that happens. Driving is an active pursuit, not a passive one. And an aware speeder is less dangerous than an unaware slow-driver.

[Book Lover]

49. To be contrarian for a moment

When I was growing up in NYC, we pedestrians yielded to the cars when crossing. Seems to me that I can stop myself on my feet a lot more quickly than someone can stop their car. Will someone explain to me why that is so wrong? It seems a hell of a lot safer!