urbanSTL

The American Addiction to Speeding

How we became obsessed with driving fast, no matter the cost.

https://slate.com/business/2021/12/speed-limit-americas-most-broken-law-history.html

The Atlantic - Big Cars Are Killing Americans

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archi ... ts/621102/

The car being flipped went into the T mobile store. The person had to be cut out of the car with jaws of life.

^yup

StlToday - Missouri traffic fatalities hit 15-year high in 2021

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... c532b.html

KMOX - 'Erratic' driver clipped snow plow in Jefferson County; Multiple accidents with MoDOT trucks

https://www.audacy.com/kmox/news/local/ ... son-county

GREAT now even fewer candidates will sign up for this hard demanding dangerous work

Stltoday - Teen charged in deadly crash in St. Louis

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... 6bf41.html

Trailnet’s second annual crash report. Haven’t read the entire doc but looks as I would expect.

https://trailnet.org/2021-crash-report/

BEFORE ANYONE CRITICIZES this is a non-profit reliant on membership. A group of 5 to 10 pedestrian/bicycle advocates doing what city/county should be doing.

Support them with a $55 annual membership if you want this type of dialogue to continue existing.

the loss of any agency whatsoever in most areas of their lives has left contemporary Americans eager to exercise it in one of the last places it exists, the road;
Interesting. A black girlfriend of mine once used almost exactly these same words to explain why black men drove so irresponsibly, in her opinion. Driving was the only activity in which they felt in control.

By that logic, I suppose having an AK-47 is also "in control".

StlToday - Hit-and-run driver kills man in Walnut Park West neighborhood of St. Louis

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... 49987.html

A pointless design trend has turned trucks into dangerous pedestrian killers
“The case against American truck bloat” [The Week]. “This behemoth design trend — particularly the very tall, square front end seen in so many SUVs and trucks today — is both pointless and dangerous. Manufacturers have known for years that this style of vehicle is much more dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists, yet they keep making them bigger, taller, and heavier. Trucks and SUVs now make up fully 70 percent of all new cars sold in the U.S. Their bloated design is killing people, especially pedestrians…. [T]he specific design trend of the massive hood sticking way out in front of the driver, with a cliff-face front grille obstructing the view several feet out in front of the wheels, is entirely a marketing gimmick. The explicit point is to create an angry, aggressive face that will intimidate others, especially pedestrians. Don’t take it from me, take it from the guy who designed the latest GM Sierra HD: ‘The front end was always the focal point… we spent a lot of time making sure that when you stand in front of this thing it looks like it’s going to come get you. It’s got that pissed-off feel,’ he told Muscle Cars & Trucks.” More: “It does seem rather far-fetched to think that automakers are consciously building their biggest trucks to be more dangerous to pedestrians, but that is actually the case.”• Worth reading in full.  https://theweek.com/articles/929196/case-against-american-truck-bloat

My SO was almost involved in a head-on collision on NB I-55 last night around 7p near Potomac. Said she was passed by an elderly woman driving SB in the NB lanes who later collided with another car. I didn't see any news on this so I suspect no fatalities, anyone else hear about this?