[darkwizard42]

I actually think it would have an astonishingly high effect. It would reduce the number of cars on the road without proper maintenance, which would generally correlate with drivers who don't care enough to prioritize their vehicle's condition (and therefore other's safety).

The second order effect might be very strong.

That being said, this will never happen because in America without a car you (avg. american) lose nearly all your ability to contribute to the economy and navigate your surroundings. We can barely align on taking licenses away from people who kill pedestrians in direct fault accidents [1]

1. https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/friends-identify-v...

[justin66]

Even in some scenario where crappy-car owners are some kind of especially pernicious safety menace (a claim for which I would demand actual evidence, since I don't believe it for a minute), I can't imagine what it would be like to live in a place in the United States where there are so many cars on the road that are legally undrivable for safety reasons that their removal would make any kind of significant difference. I read "astonishingly high effect" above and wonder if you even drive in the United States.