why are stupid people allowed to drive?

[xero]

[rant]

Okay, so I was going to pick up pizza for my mom and I. It's raining pretty hard, so I'm just baaarely going the speed limit. I'm just baaarely going the speed limit because of a few things: 1. I drive a 5,000 pound rear wheel drive car. 2. My tires aren't exactly the best wet-weather tires around. And 3. If I brake hard, its a good chance that 5,000 pounds of steel going 40mph will skid pretty fast and far.
I'm a pretty cautious driver, so what? I would rather not cause wrecks and kill people.
So, I'm driving down the road, and some idiot passes going about 45-50 in a newer car, you know new cars, fiberglas, plastic, get in a wreck and you'll be hurt probably. So I'm like damn...That guy musta been in a hurry. So then, another guy passes going ~45 with his damn lights off, and its dark as hell raining hard as hell. I figure that guy must be a fvcking genius! Then of course the soccer moms in their SUV's going about 50 down the road.
Why in the world do they allow stupid people like this to have a license to drive?! These people should be restricted to a freakin' bicycle!
I'm not trying to imply that I'm the best driver in the world, because I'm not. I've only been driving 2 years in May. But, come on people, a little common sense goes a long way. I'm a better driver than a lot of people out there. That's why my mom trusts me to go pretty much whereever and she lets me drive her '99 GMC Safari van. And that's why the owners of where I work trust me with their vehicles.
Ah well...

[/rant]

 

[64bitloopy]

Oh, I thought you were going to explain to us how and why you got your license.

 

[Harvey]

<<why are stupid people allowed to drive?>>

Just take a look at who issues drivers licenses. If you ever spent a couple of hours trying to get a DMV (Department of Motor Vehichles in Ca) employee to give you reasonable answers to simple questions, you will have your answer.

 

[nateholtrop]

haha I hear ya thats how I am when it rains speed limit if I can do it and not feel like i am hydro planing. I drive a 96 Sunfire too fiberglass and I am gonna prolly not walk away from any crash. Oh well..its good on gas.

nate

 

[xero]

Hell, I'm one of the guys that, in dry weather, goes flyin' by you at 50mph usually. But in the rainy weather, I value my life over speed. And I know, that if I happened to go crashin' into somebody, they'd probably be hurt pretty bad. Say if I was going 40 and braked suddenly and went skiddin' into Nate's Sunfire, just think, 5,000 pounds compared to his, car, which is most likely under a ton. Plus, my car is all metal, no plastic quater panels or anything. Where as his car is mostly fiberglas and some steel. How would I feel if I was to seriously injure somebody because I was in such a hurry in rainy weather? I'd feel pretty bad!

 

[jhu]

i don't know. why are stupid people allowed to do anything?

 

[perry]

I've always had the wild idea that there should be some sort of incremental driver's license. Get your license, you can drive tiny, slow cars like the Metro or Festiva. Conquer those, and you can move up to something bigger, Taurus, Accord, Camry. Figure out how those work and you can get SUV or sports car licenses.

Too many kids are given the keys to a 250+ HP RWD monster when they turn 16 and promptly go out and get into a fight with a telephone pole. They don't know that you can't hit the brake when turning, or w/o ABS you can't just slam the middle pedal to the floor. Teach em about threshold braking and about proper turnin speed, etc.

Not a feasible idea since it would cost so much, but it would probably cut down on accidents since the people in the bigger/faster cars know how to handle them properly.

All of my ideas about licensing would cost too much. Like sending everyone to a decent accident avoidance course, instead of the crappy driver's ed that's out there now where the student is essentially the taxi driver for the instructor.

 

[Namuna]

The answer to your question is simple...'Population Control'. Stupidity = Deaths

What else could be the reason? Go to about ANY other country and see how hard it is to get a license! And once you've got that license you have to be re-tested every few years!

 

[cjchaps]

The driving test is to fricken simple..... A monkey could pass it given enough tries. The driving test doesn't measure peoples abilities to handle adverse and intense situations, such as idoits driving 100 mph in wet conditions. The test should have people drive through an obstacle course of sorts, with people on bikes, and crazy drivers, deer, etc.... I don't know if this type test should be given to new drivers directly, maybe it should be given to them a few months after they get their license, and then within regular intervals after that. I'm sure most 70 year old grannies would fail tests which require good reflex times. You should also have to test for the type of car your drive. We already make truck drivers take a special test, why not make tests for different types of vehicles like vans, pickups, suvs, sports cars, etc... Also, set up a driving test to simulate different driving conditions like thunderstorms or snowstorms. That's my 2 cents.

 

[StageLeft]

It all comes down to money I suppose. Certainly more skill is required moving a lincoln navigator through a situation than a honda civic.

 

[AndrewR]

I think the full question is &quot;Why are stupid people allowed to live?&quot;, but that's just me being elitist.

Here in Georgia, there are two basic reactions to a change in the weather -- go faster/stay at high speed or go really, really, really slow. I can see a certain wisdom in being cautious when the road conditions are not ideal, and I follow that course of action. However, it is neither warranted nor SAFE to go 10-20 mph below the speed limit unless it is raining so hard that visibility is less than 30 feet (I hate that). The combination of the slow pokes and the people in a huge hurry often results in crumpled metal and people.

I am thoroughly convinced that some cars are modified with a certain device that requires the removal of the brain in order for the car to start.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I'd say Darwinism, but then I'd have to ask the question &quot;Why do cars have safety devices?&quot;

 

[randomlinh]

I really hate it when ppl don't have their lights on at night, esp. when it's raining.

 

[Croton]

perry &amp; cjchaps

those are awesome ideas.

I also think that the driver's test should be HARD. That way the idiotic drivers can't drive.

And that incremental driver's liscense is way cool.

I always had this crazy idea:

build a road, but make it really high (on stilts), and make it a one lane, one way road. there are no barriers on either side, so if you swerve off the road, you die. there aren't any speed limits at all. but if you go too slow, the road magically tilts you off, making you die.

that road would be so cool 'cause only good drivers would be able to drive on it.

yeah................crazy idea i told you.

 

[Moonbeam]

Because I don't like being the only person on the road.

 

[e_mc_2]

Because stupid people rule the world.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

About the driving test being harder. A few years ago I read an artivle how the california DMV was going to make the test harder. The test description was almost exactly the test I went through. I thought &quot;huh?&quot; Then I found out that some places have &quot;around the block&quot; tests and I considered buying a bumper car.

 

[desy]

OK
The car was invented at the turn of the Century when life expectancy was 40. You were probably more likely to die in a mining accident or cholera.
The years progresses and we built a whole society around cheap and affordable transportation FOR the masses.
50 years ago people weren't safety-aholics like they are now and at that time you din't even take any test just pay your $5 and fill out a form. So realize this there are LOTS of drivers that have NEVER had competency testing.
It is the legacy of our past, get used to it. If we went the way of Europe and built neighborhoods that you get everything you need and get to and from work or actual working public transit systems there might actually be some political will to encourage stricter laws for ablity.

 

[HKSturboKID]

<why are stupid people allowed to drive? >

...I think they pay too much go get their license, thats why they are driving.

 

[CinderElmo]

My favorite is idiots in SUV's who go flying at 60+ by when there is snow packed on the highway. As if their 4-wheel drives will hold to snow better than any other rubber tires out there.

I agree it is Darwinism in action, but I don't think our freeways should be where they learn they aren't cut out to drive and take other people down with them. I hate it when other people risk MY life doing stupid things.

 

[Triumph]

I'll tell you why stupid people are allowed to drive. It's because it's wayyyyy to easy to get your license in this country. There's basically no training required, the permit test had some of the dumbest questions i've ever heard on it, and the driving test was basically a test of your ability to turn on a car and drive around the block without hitting anything. So after you prove that you have mastered these trying obstacles, you're given free reign to drive anywhere in this country under any conditions imaginable. it's a complete joke. that's why we can't have higher speed limits. i wouldn't want to be on the road next to these people going 95 mph! would You?

 

[Dedpuhl]

Senior Citizens should be banned from driving...