There is still a vast amount of work to be done...

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by Billfred

I don't really agree with this perception. People are driving 3,000-pound cars at 70 miles per hour. If you're not treating this as a serious task, you're doing it wrong.

driving a car on the highway at 70mph

you can set the cruise control, so the vehicle speed is not under your constant control

you only need to keep an eye out ahead, stay 10 car lengths behind the vehicle in front of you

and you are in a zone where you have a 5 to 10 second reaction time. Mostly you are appling a slight pressure to the steering wheel to stay centered in your lane - this is a very low level activity

its when something goes wrong- your car blows a tire, a deer jumps out, a truck passes you then cuts you off, someone crosses the center line and enters your lane - those are the 2-3 second duration events that happen infrequently, when you need to do exactly the right thing, or you collide.

You cant drive with white knuckles on the steering wheel all the time, esp when you are on a long trip. Most people have an intense concentration/attention span of 20 to 40 minutes max.

Which is why I think our transportation system as a whole needs to be changed and improved - we need to come up with ways to prevent vehicles from being able to crash into each other, or into poles and trees....

its those little infrequent random events that cause all the damage.