Road death #1 killer in the World = 1.2 million traffic death in 2006
Red Cloud
Facts:
1) Since 9/11, 245,000 American killed in traffic accidents
2) 42,462 American killed in 2006.
3) Over 1.2 milion traffic deaths occured in 2006 on global scale
4) 100,000 death in war, terrorism and political Conflict
Trends:
1) Traffic death is the world #1 killer and the number is going
up
2) Car ownership is rising in global scale
Two keys reasons for traffic fatalities:
1) Horsepower
2) Cellphones
The ever-rising horsepower such as SUV (Supersized Unnecessariy
Vehicle) and pickup truck is single biggest reason of traffic fatalies
in American. 20 years ago, average horsepower vehicle was 119 and
accelerated zero to 60 in 13 seconds. Today average horsepoer vehicle
is 220, and zero to 60 in 9 seconds. In Every year, new model for SUV
and pickup truck are the most fastest and most powerful vehicle. EVen
the family model like Toyota Camery has over 260 horsepower and
accelerated zero to 60 in less than 6 seconds which was the Corvette
acceleration in 20 years ago. These fastest cars are so easy to lose
control during sudden lane-change or cut-off or other form of
aggressive driving. A generation ago, only small number of drivers
were driving high horsepower cars. Today, most drivers have high
horsepower! There is
another darkside of driving high horsepower car: ever-rising gasoline
usage and greenhouse
gases. Automakers have significantly increased powertrain efficiency
but the gain has gone
to the horsepower, not fuel efficiency. If a horsepower of new car is
decreased by one-third,
mpg will be increased by one-third. Compare to the average mpg cars
in Europe and Japan,
Americans average is the lowest in the world. Don't forget American
drivers emits more greenhouse gas than European and japanese cars.
Ask this question why America just can't match the high fuel
efficiency of japanese
and European automakers and the level of the European and Japanese
greenhouse gas emission. Answer: America wants to destory the world.
What does this suggests to me personally? Well, I have to ride my
bike very carefully since there are too many high horsepower SUV and
Cowboy style moron truck drivers in street out there thinking that
they are driving on NASCAR tracks, and I have to watch out those
drivers with using cellphone. There is no doubt the traffic is getting
nasty year after year. Americans are driving more aggressively, not
slow down. And the size of Americans car is getting bigger not smaller
(because their butts are getting larger). Just Look at the size of
Hummer and GMC/Ford truck. "Man that car is just too big!" Well I
guess big American fat-ass has to fit into fat-ass American truck.
OK! Of course, I'm not only referred to White redneck cowboy style
moron driving hugh pickup truck. Just look at any color of driver.
Look at the Mexican/Hispanic driver. You give them a middleclass
American lifestyle, Mexicans will drive high horsepower pickup truck.
I've noticed lately that so many Mexicans are driving hugh big truck.
WHY? Are these Mexicans behaving like somekind of macho? I've heard
that Mexico is very macho society. I'm not saying showing masculine is
wrong but the way Mexican drivers with macho truck is like a three
stoogies on NASCAR track.