[ShadowBanThis01]

I grew up riding bikes every damned day (including to and from school) in the Chicago suburbs and don't recall ever having an incident with a car. I also didn't tend to ride in busy streets.

Teach your kids how to survive.

[jackson1442]

I walked to work daily for the past 9 months and approximately twice/week someone would blow through the marked crosswalk while I had a signal because they didn’t check for pedestrians. In multiple cases I was less than 3 feet from their car.

The problem isn’t people walking or cycling- it’s people driving and car manufacturers who make cars so big you can’t adequately see the space around them.

[ShadowBanThis01]

Compounding that is the topmost problem endangering lives today; TEXTING WHILE DRIVING.

Until this is made a DUI-level offense with the same penalties, people will keep getting killed.

[jackson1442]

I started noticing this recently as I’ve been making it a point to look around more at my surroundings while I walk.

So, so many people touch their phones while they’re driving. Many hold it in their hands the entire time they drive. I live in a hands-free state!

It’s absolute madness at this point.

[ShadowBanThis01]

It's disgusting. If cities would even enforce the existing, feeble laws, they'd be awash in revenues. Every intersection. Every block. All you have to do is turn your head 90 degrees and see three people dicking around with phones while driving.

[seabass-labrax]

Your comment made me curious what the penalties for this were in my own country, Britain. It seems as if one can lose one's driving licence for both offences, but with drink-driving, there is an additional possibility of incarceration. With texting, if one has been driving for more than two years, that person cannot lose their driving licence from just that one offence.

https://www.gov.uk/using-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law

https://www.gov.uk/drink-driving-penalties

[ShadowBanThis01]

In the U.S. it varies by region, but I've never seen a penalty more than $120... whereas red-light cameras and speed cameras are used to impose $400 fines or more.

It's a disgrace. I really wonder why we must tolerate this, and who or what is behind the refusal to address it.

[CalRobert]

This doesn't match my experience. I'm glad your childhood was nice though.

[ShadowBanThis01]

Fair enough. Thanks!