[trollbridge]

This study didn’t nearly enough to disambiguate for widespread phone use while driving, which IMO is the biggest factor.

Self driving AI is the answer.

[tzs]

It's not the biggest factor. Phone use tends to increase accidents but not to change the severity of the accidents much. Tall more vertical fronts change the severity of accidents, which changes the ratio between fatal and non-fatal accidents. The data shows that since ~2010 the ratio has changed significantly towards more fatal.

[hamdingers]

They have phones in Europe and their numbers are going down.

[trollbridge]

Yeah, but Americans would not tolerate Euro style driving laws and enforcement.

So… we have the technology to fix this problem. Let’s just do it!

[cucumber3732842]

Would've been trivial to just run the same calculations on 1990s numbers when SUVs first became popular but long before smartphones.

I think it speaks volumes that they didn't.

[hamdingers]

1990s SUVs were different vehicles than 2026 SUVs. A 2026 4Runner Hybrid weighs 1500lbs more than a 1996 and is 19 inches longer, 12 inches wider, and 6 inches taller. This is significant.

[tzs]

SUVs started becoming popular in the 1990s but there is significant lag between becoming popular among new car buyers and becoming a significant fraction of cars on the road.

For example SUVs and light trucks rose to 30% of new sales in 1990 but it wasn't until 2003 that they were 30% of vehicles on the road.

[trollbridge]

This stuff wouldn’t bother me so much if I didn’t regularly get reports of an acquaintance’s daughter who is now almost brain dead (can’t speak after a serious accident).

Phone is 99% likely the culprit.

Self driving AI or putting the #%£€ phone down would have prevented it.