Submitted by MrSpontaneous t3_yesf6i in washingtondc
pengo242 t1_iu0aydv wrote
It's not the roads, visibility, or signs. It is the drivers who don't give a fuck
tunamelts2 t1_iu0k22j wrote
Time to start leveling criminal charges and jail time for such recklessness. These cars are just as bad as weapons when in the wrong hands.
Snow_source t1_iu0tf69 wrote
> Time to start leveling criminal charges and jail time for such recklessness.
Who's going to arrest and who's going to prosecute.
It sure as shit isn't going to be MPD and the US attorney's office.
4RunnerPilot t1_iu27ul2 wrote
Arresting is not the problem. It’s prosecuting. MPD does a great job finding the criminals… they are all repeat offenders. MPD knows them, they arrest them and they are out the following day back to criminal activity. The dc gov and prosecutors are complicit in putting the public in danger by allowing criminals to walk.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iu12tu6 wrote
I agree.
Hit a pedestrian, cyclist, or a person on a scooter and be charged for it pending an ok investigation and if found at fault revoke driving privileges altogether.
Quelcris_Falconer13 t1_iu47b1x wrote
Revoke privileges, including parking, and fuck it, seize vehicle in the case of DUIs. Place huge fines. In California speeding tickets come out to $500 roughly. These little $150 tickets is like a meal out.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iu6limj wrote
Yeah I hear you. It's a real shame that the real issue surrounding why pedestrians and cyclists are considered second class citizens is really about money. The gas and automotive industry is quite powerful politically and have a whole lot of allies.
The fact that they make their money is one thing but they aren't satisfied with that. They want to make sure nothing endangers that meal ticket and they don't care how many bodies get buried in that process.
drr71-2 t1_iu4mpyv wrote
The animals won't obey the law about needing a license to drive and will just drive without a license. And once their arrested for that, they'll be released within 24 hours and be right back out there doing it again. And then there will be collars shit how fines are holding back these"fine citizens" from succeeding in life.
Quelcris_Falconer13 t1_iu66hdf wrote
Then make the fines massive and remind people that driving is a privilege in a city that arguable has one of the best mass transit systems in in the USA. (WMATA is trash but coming from LA where the average speed of a bus is 3mph and there is virtually no subway system, it’s great) so the lack of a car would definitely hold you back in LA, but not in DC. I find I have to come up with excuses to actually drive my car. I’d sell it but I’m not committed to living in DC for several years and I don’t want to sell it now and buy a much more expensive one in. The future when I do decide to leave.
drr71-2 t1_iu677y5 wrote
.... and when they don't pay the fines? Remember, this is the city where people drive like crap and collect fines into the thousands of $$ & then complain about the fines holding them back instead of just obeying the driving laws and not putting the public at risk.... so they wouldn't get the fines in the first place.
Quelcris_Falconer13 t1_iu68frd wrote
I don’t care if they do or don’t pay the fines. Take their car away if they don’t pay. Make it so they can’t legally purchase a car from a dealer in the district. Like seriously these sociopaths should not be driving 1.5 tons of steel around a city killing regular people just going about their lives. I know I’m Not coming up with perfect ideas but I’m not an elected official. Go take those “what if” question to a city hall meeting instead of forcing a random redditor to play politician
ETA: the word not
drr71-2 t1_iu6bteh wrote
Really?! I'm "forcing" you to do something? I'm pointing out that this City Council doesn't give a shit.... they won't do anything to help the citizens who are negatively impacted. It's disgusting and what's adding to the lawlessness we're all seeing getting worse and worse.
Quelcris_Falconer13 t1_iu6c2yc wrote
In not disagreeing with I’m just saying get off my back and take this energy to a city council meeting or ballot box
drr71-2 t1_iu6e3wq wrote
You assume I haven't. Trust me... I have. This city "leadership" is the worst I've seen. They will piss in your face and tell you it's raining.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iu6nei2 wrote
Yeah I understand your frustrations and I share them. Please don't take out your frustrations on those here that aren't the actual problem.
With that said I absolutely agree with you but I would say take away their car on the spot and make it illegal to purchase a car ANYWHERE.
The fines can easily be paid by people with plenty of money so there has to be another way to make those people accountable for their actions. Also, people will make the excuse that any of this being enforced would be a danger to poor black people. The way things are today I can absolutely see that happening.
As it is a lot of people have the absolutely racist and absurd belief that black folks simply cannot help being agressive no matter where we are. That due to the awful legacy of slavery that we cannot help being on our phones when folks need to focus on driving instead.
This reminds me that the issue of people on their phones while driving needs to carry charges that can imprison people if they don't comply. We live in a time where Bluetooth and other handsfree devices are inexpensive enough that they should be ubiquitous at this point.
Again, if a person can't conduct themselves properly while driving a motor vehicle then it makes me wonder what other issues of self control they possess. Maybe they simply aren't competent enough to drive.
What I think is that driving school should be absolutely mandatory. With sections where people are actually riding bicycles though the city so they can get a feel for what that experience is actually like. Not some preset track either. Actual city streets and conditions.
What you think about that?
Quelcris_Falconer13 t1_iu7gqg1 wrote
Wait a min… is driving school not mandatory? Holy fuck no wonder it’s so bad here. Driving school should be mandatory with a minimum of 20 hours in class and maybe another 5-10 behind the wheel with an official instructor
Also for rich people the consequences of paying tickets is that their insurance rates go up so they’ll be paying higher insurance for a minimum of 5-7 years.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iu7qx8h wrote
If they are rich then their insurance rates going up wouldn't be nearly as much a problem as it would be a poor person.
Quelcris_Falconer13 t1_iu7w5yr wrote
Oh… it goes up, ALOT.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iu9a3nu wrote
Oh ok
CaptainObvious110 t1_iu6lyvh wrote
You make a very good point.....
Driving is a privilege not a right. The problem is that so many people make money from people driving and so that makes it in their best interest to NOT take people's cars away or to revoke their licenses.
The truth is that if irresponsible people were held accountable for their own bad decisions then it would make things better for the remaining drivers as well as cyclists and pedestrians as well.
Fatalities would go down and we would all be safer. The fact that this isn't already done shows where the priorities are
Gooner695 t1_iu0rknf wrote
It is the roads, though. In the countries that prioritize safety over speed, traffic injuries and fatalities are much much much lower. It virtually all comes down to road design, which is why DDOT’s apathy is so fucking infuriating
BrightThru2014 t1_iu2qjxw wrote
Yeah try breaking traffic laws in Germany and come back to me about how “other countries have better designed infrastructure it’s not about enforcement!” It’s about both, and enforcement will help in the short term.
CaptainObvious110 t1_iu12lxg wrote
That's the thing. People get in arms when anyone talks bad about cars but there are so many folks out here that are reckless when it comes to driving.
This mentality of driving being a right is absolutely foolish and needs to stop. Driving should be seen as a privilege for those who can handle the responsibility of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds.
Bitterfish t1_iu14xq1 wrote
That's exactly why it is the roads. Our roads are designed assuming that drivers care about safe practice, which as you correctly note, is false.
There is no magical way for the government to alter the brains/minds of every driver. What the government can do is build roads that make it difficult or impossible for drivers to hurt and kill people. Look up Traffic Calming -- other countries have a bunch of techniques for this figured out.
MintyLacroix t1_iu2yidr wrote
This.
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