The Safety Seat

Tom Scocca:

Safety is about making tradeoffs. Not dying on the road is a very good thing to trade for–so good, nobody feels any need to make improvements to the improvements. It’s churlish to complain about it. Your car is a little metal death box, and whatever joy you may find on the road is strictly a function of your insane denial of that truth. The safety gear gives you another layer of denial to work with: I am doing all this in the most prudent, least reckless way that automotive engineers have yet discovered. Got it, Death?

1. [hokano]

   When driving on a secondary, two-way traffic road, I’m often struck (so to speak) by how insane the situation is.

   There you are on one half of a narrow strip of pavement with your quite destructible human body moving at considerable speed. Any sudden severe change in your velocity will inflict horrible damage. Your constant attention to the speed and direction of your vehicle is the only thing preventing the disaster.

   On the other side of the narrow pavement is a complete stranger in the same situation, heading IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION more or less straight for you. You have no idea what his or her skills are, how impaired they are or whether they are currently paying attention. But don’t worry, because that line of paint between you will keep you apart. You depend on this line of paint to keep working it’s magic through dozens or hundreds or thousands of these interactions.

   Imagine if this system hadn’t evolved over decades, but instead was being proposed as a new transportation solution today. No one in their right mind would take it seriously.

2. [teamshadowboat]

   That paragraph would make a great (huge) bumper sticker.

3. [dculberson]

   Hokano, now imagine sitting on a motorcycle on that road, hoping beyond hope that nobody crosses that little line of paint.

   I love riding my bike, but damn do I have to go into denial-of-risks mode. Like a helmet and Kevlar armor are going to do much when hit head on by a drunk in an Escalade.

4. [cha0tic]

   ‘This Car is a Little Metal Death Box’ Would work as a bumper Sticker.

5. [Anonymous]

   You know what else would be a good bumper sticker? “If you can read this, I ran you over”

6. [ECCHI]

   Had a friend of mine pass away like that. Simply returning home from a short trip. Going 100 km/h on the highway.

   The other guy had decided it was a good day to commit suicide by driving head on into another car.

   My friend was 21.

7. [xzzy]

   Alternatively, ‘This Car is a Little Death Metal Box’ would work too.

   But only if you’re into that genre I suppose.

8. [The Life Of Bryan]

   Imagine if this system hadn’t evolved over decades, but instead was being proposed as a new transportation solution today. No one in their right mind would take it seriously.

   So very many things fall into that same category.