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by SoftTalker 938 days ago
Denmark has a much higher bar for obtaining a drivers license, both in terms of the education and demonstrated skill required, and the cost of the license.

If US drivers had to meet the same standards as Danish drivers in order to get a license, our roads would be a lot safer.
3 comments
AlexandrB 938 days ago
Another good solution that requires zero R&D.

It's frustrating to see traffic fatalities trotted out as a "the ends justify the means" justification for self-driving R&D budgets and practices as if there are no other solutions to the problem.

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kube-system 937 days ago
> If US drivers had to meet the same standards as Danish drivers in order to get a license, our roads would be a lot safer.

It probably wouldn't. A VERY high proportion of the most risky drivers on US roads are already driving illegally. For example, nearly 1/3 of drivers in Mississippi are driving around without insurance.

https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-uninsure...

If people are given a choice between driving illegally and going without basic necessities, they choose the former.

A lot of people end up in this situation because they are bad drivers with bad records, and can't afford the insurance, so they drive illegally. Functionally this is no different than if they weren't able to get a drivers license. They are still on the road.

Lax licensing is not the cause of bad drivers in the US. Both the bad drivers and the lax licensing is caused by a lack of transportation availability.

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SoftTalker 937 days ago
Well the other thing about Denmark and many other European countries is that cars are also much more expensive to buy, to own, to register, etc. so people who are on the verge of not having basic necessities certainly cannot afford a car. So the people who are driving are by and large people who have something to lose by flouting the law, which tends to make them act more responsibly.
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hnav 938 days ago
but in the US you have freedom of movement also most of the US is rural and driving is basically a right because if you don't you're a nobody and can't function. Ironically Japan is having an issue right now with lots of rural grandpas aging out of driving competently and having no alternative.
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vel0city 937 days ago
Freedom of movement doesn't mean freedom to operate any kind of machine anywhere you wish however you wish. Denying you a driver's license isn't denying you the ability to go between the states. Sure you can go from CA to NV, go take a bus or the train or fly in a plane or have a friend drive you or bounce over there on a pogo stick or roll in on a unicycle.
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