To think the roads are becoming more unsafe

[Solonelywastheballard]

I've been driving for 16 years and never had an accident. I've lived in two major cities and driven all over the country.

I would consider myself an experienced and very good driver. I've never had an issue on the roads. Until this last month.

Two weeks ago a man became very very aggressive with me. I was really shaken for a while, he looked like a proper thug. This was because I overtook a parked car when he was coming in the opposite direction. I had plenty of time to get round, it's a 20 mph road with speed bumps. He deliberately sped right up, zoomed up to me as I was passing the parked car didn't stop until he was almost touching my bumper, I reversed out the way, he the drove beside me and started spouting abuse at me, calling me a stupid foreign bitch. I thought he was going to get out the car and rip my head of he was so angry. (I'm English and white btw)

Then today I stopped at a roundabout to give way to a car on the right and a van driver drove up the back of me. Another tattooed thug. Shouting about how I shouldn't have stopped I should just have carried on driving to keep the flow of traffic moving. I've noticed people have less and less regard for giving way at roundabouts, he's obviously one of them. I said he needed to take a driving course because you have to giveway to the right.

My dh has also had two road rage incidents in the last couple of weeks while I've been in the car - one was a thug on a bike.

I feel like the roads aren't safe and the world is being taken over by bully boy men. Right now I don't want to get behind the wheel again but my DS is disabled and I need to drive for him.

Is anyone else feeling like the roads are becoming lawless or is it just me.

And you certainly are giving plenty of explanation as to why the roads are getting more unsafe, because if the figures say they're getting safer, theres no need to invest in improved infrastructure which is now standard elsewhere. No need to do anything at all in fact. Keep the status quo.

I'm afraid that post highlights your lack of intelligence. Just because things are improving, that's no need to be complacent. We should keep striving for further improvement, for even safer roads. We got down from 6000 deaths to 1750 in a few decades, we need to get to 1500, then 1000, then 500 etc.

I'm afraid that post highlights your lack of intelligence. Just because things are improving, that's no need to be complacent. We should keep striving for further improvement, for even safer roads. We got down from 6000 deaths to 1750 in a few decades, we need to get to 1500, then 1000, then 500 etc.

Sorry couldn't reply earlier. I've been at work, using my lack of intelligence to pay tax towards our roads, etc.. I guess people like me who question these mysterious "figures" that you keep referring to must be a real nuisance when we ask questions.

So, since you work in the industry, can you please answer the following relevant questions:

(1) What is the source of your "figures"?
(2) What is the definition of "safe" applied to these figures?
(3) Why is comparison with road deaths including all road users such as cyclists not permitted in your equally mysterious "industry"?
(4) Do you actually think telling people they lack intelligence because they don't believe figures produced to justify lack of government investment infrastructure actually makes them believe what you are saying?

If you could direct your mind to answering nos. 1-4, that would be most helpful.

We got down from 6000 deaths to 1750 in a few decades, we need to get to 1500, then 1000, then 500 etc.

Interestingly, 613 people were killed in The Netherlands in road traffic accidents in 2017, according to Statistics Nederland.

Now, obviously Lifecraft isn't allowed to comment on the Dutch figures, because they have already demonstrated their avowed dislike of comparing comparable figures in comparable Northern European countries.

My definition of "safe" isn't so strict as to only include road death statistics. I would rather compare different statistics to get a more realistic overall impression of safety. So I would expect any definition of "safe" to include

• road deaths compared to number of journeys taken overall, broken down into different types of road user
• number of serious injuries
• incidents of road rage resulting in police involvement
• a survey of general perceptions of how "safe" the roads are deemed to be by end users, including not only likelihood of accidents but perception of non-reported minor infringements of road traffic law and instances of threatening driving.