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by missosoup 2085 days ago
The 'you shouldn't be driving' commenters are people who are are either living in a privileged high-income bubble and don't understand what real life is like for most of the population, or are logical purists thinking about this issue in isolation without considering what real life is like for most of the population. Neither of those demographics has considered that their 'you shouldn't be driving, period' policy would cause a lot more damage than it would mitigate, when considered at a societal scale.

The fact that this kind of policy would do net negative damage is trivial to arrive at, and is exactly why no country has ever stopped people with this issue from driving even though the issue itself is well known. The 'shouldn't be driving' mindset is tunnel visioning and swatting a fly in your house with a nuclear missile.

The fact that anyone going against that viewpoint is getting downvoted makes it pretty clear that HN is trending towards reddit where downvotes have become an 'I disagree' button. It's been pretty sad watching this trend play out over the last couple of years.

2 comments

There's a big difference between driving when you are knowingly on the verge of falling asleep, and driving while slightly under-rested.
Exactly how have you established what the commenters have or haven't considered? To me, its silly to make this about class or economic status. Also, this is not just a made up "policy" . Its the law (well, in most countries). If you want to relax the laws so that drowsy/reckless driving is accepted, you are welcome to present an actual argument.