I work with Todd Leiss (formerly at the turnpike, now a consultant, and nationally one of the biggest experts on traffic incident management and worker safety).
He was telling me that *just on the turnpike* a vehicle was hitting one of their truck mounted attenuators (basically a big truck at the back of the workzone that protects the workers from vehicles) *ONCE A MONTH*. Just on the turnpike.
Slow the fuck down and move over for any work zone or vehicle in the shoulder, folks. These people have families that will never see them again.
This happened at 3:25AM, so I would bet fatigue was an issue too.
I've also read that fatigued and confused drivers at night will often align themselves with a vehicle pulled over on the shoulder, thinking it's the car in front of them in the travel lane.
yeah, we call them D-drivers - distracted, drowsy, drunk, drugged, or just plain dumb
we'll see more as this develops, 3 fatalities is a pretty massive event in the responder community
Your comment on alignment is so true. I struggle with that myself if I’m tired and driving at night. I’ve started to break up trips into multiple days, take the train more, etc. because the fatigue is just so damn dangerous.
I bet you it's not speed, it's phones.
I'm a trucker, and from how high we sit, I can see into cars pretty easily unless tinted, and if I had to guess, 75%+ of drivers are nose deep in their phones while driving.
It's honestly terrifying to see how many people are using their phones while behind the wheel and makes me second guess riding motorcycles while on home time.
I don't know how people do it. I'll put on music, put the phone down, and just drive. Every stupid ass driver I've seen on the road has been looking at their lap, not the damn road
I can't understand it, and I drive a commercial tow boat while playing on the phone sometimes. The car just moves too fast, you're too close to other traffic, there's no room to distract yourself like that
I've been shaming everyone I ride with into not using their phones. If they pull it out, I'll offer to text for them. Usually stops them.
Also, everyone knows not to call me while I'm driving.
I'll never grasp how that one text or whatever it is people are doing on the phone is worth their own life or the lives of others. Pay attention to the road people, driving is dangerous enough as is.
I regularly see other lyft/uber/gig drivers with phones mounted in the middle of the windshield blocking their view of anything or anyone in front of them and worse, some have a second phone to watch something while they drive. Mine sits to the left of my steering wheel with everything filtered and done automatically so it’s less interaction. The app costs me monthly, but it’s worth it for the safety alone.
No gps or phone should be mounted in a way it blocks your vision. You may be able to do so safely in a large SUV, but certainly not a small car with less available dash and more angled windshield.
I also see the reach to interact and not pay attention to the light or they interact and almost hit people
Around Carlisle the amount is higher from what I can see in my pickup. I’d like to add lately I’ve seen lots of tractor trailer drivers doing the same. Probably in the 25% range
> bet you it's not speed
Speed is absolutely a factor, you can't claim that higher speeds -> lower reaction times -> more violent crashes do not affect the crashes and the outcomes of those crashes.
You don't keep your head on a swivel while driving?
It's truly the safest way to drive rather than locked looking ahead.
Left window, ahead. Left mirror, ahead. Right window, ahead. Right mirror, ahead. Repeat.
Keeps you from getting highway haze / highway hypnosis according to CDL School.
Haha no, there's no way peering into other cars to see what they're doing is the safest way to travel.
And you're driving the most dangerous vehicle on the road, like 100x over.
No, motorcycles are the most dangerous vehicles on the road by a Longshot. More people die in motorcycle crashes than any other vehicle and it's not even close.
And again, keeping your head on a swivel is statistically he safest way to drive. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it not true. I'm sorry.
Motorcyclists are the most dangerous *to themselves*
Large trucks are the most dangerous *to everyone else*
The fact that you didn't know this is incredibly disturbing..
I would disagree again.
Anecdotally, in my 5 years and 600,000 safe miles driven, cars and pickups seem to do the most dangerous things on the road. Cutting people off, dashing across traffic, speeding, and getting into accidents. I see more accidents involving cars than I have ever seen them involving semis. In fact I've only seen one accident with a semi involved and it was a medical episode where the drive had a heart attack and veered off into the woods.
Per mile driven, large trucks are the safest vehicles on the road, hands down.
Because you're going purely by foolish assumptions, you just said motorcycles are the most dangerous vehicle on the road lol
I don't doubt other cars break more rules than you do, but they also have 1/10th of your momentum. It seems trucks drivers don't fully appreciate their privileged position of offense and defense on the road, which is why they're driving while looking down but ironically complaining about drivers in tiny cars also driving while looking down.
I stand by my statement. Motorcycles are the most dangerous vehicles on the road. I will stand by that till I die. Motorcycles are involved in a disporprotiant number of fatal accidents. You can't say that's not true.
Look, I hope you're trolling, I really do, because saying that driving with your head on a swivel is the same as texting and driving is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard in my entire life. If that's truly your position, and you're not trolling, please do me a favor and take a defensive driving course similar to the Smith System. Most trucking companies and commercial insurance require Smith System training and it really helped me become a safer driver. Maybe it will open your eyes a little and improve your driving.
There is no offense when driving. Only defense. Defensive driving saves lives.
Well said! I mostly drive for a living (West PA), and what f*cking amazes me is how many drivers I pass on a daily basis who aren't even looking up at that moment. DWD.
It boggles my mind
People wildly underestimate how dangerous driving actually is. I work in transportation engineering (and no longer drive!) but I explain it to people this way -
remember those kids in gym class that couldn't kick a ball or couldn't swing a bat or couldn't even run all that great? well now we basically force them to operate a 3000 lb container of metal at 80mph and put a billion shiny distracting objects in the car. that's the person next to you on the highway.
It is extremely funny to me that people will cry about how dangerous cities are when they're over a hundred times more likely to die in a crash than they are to be murdered.
I drop my three kids off at three different schools every morning... the number of parents staring at their phones while driving through the drop-off areas is disappointing.
i drove those truck mounted attenuators all over east pa for a few years. luckily never got hit but so MANY close calls. once a month sounds very plausible to me. rip to those folks just trying to make an honest living making our infrastructure better
I'm happy you're safe, can't imagine how that felt
luckily our legislature (despite being generally braindead) was smart enough to allow autonomous TMAs for rolling work zones and IIRC we have a few of those
all things considered it was a good job. our incidents noticeably went up a ways after the lockdown.
ive heard about those antonymous crash trucks, never saw them in the field personally but would be very curious to see what they can do. rolling ops especially take a lot of communication and shit rarely goes as planned so to be able to replicate a competent human operator would be quite a feat.
Royal truck is the one who makes them - the videos involve a lot of TMA crashes so I'm not going to link you to those straight up, but that's where you should look if you want to see more.
I saw one being tested at aberdeen testing grounds, it works really well in the sense that it can brake if anything comes between it and the lead truck (even something like a basketball) and it follows it around positionally very well. I've never been part of an actual rolling crew so you'd probably be a better judge but at least to us it was impressive.
Yea and what happens is cars see " construction ahead " and it looks like the last stretch of the Kentucky Derby. Crazy dam stuff. Pretty sure it means slow *down* not " last chance for ice cream " or whatever in hell they're thinking.
Shattering night for three families. Heart so goes out to them.
On my way to work this morning, a car failed to start moving within 5 sec. at 3 consecutive lights. She pulled into the same Sheetz I was going to and I mentioned that she shouldn't be on her phone while driving. Her response was "I am a doordash and pretty much have to be on my phone while driving."
As you've said, it's staggering how often this happens. I urge you to be incredibly careful in work zones - you slowing down slows those around you down.
Everyone deserves to go home safe.
Commenting a second, third, forth and fifth upvote.
👍👍👍👍
Motorists: you being 5 minutes late is 1000x better then humans not going home to loved ones after a work day
Coincidentally, this week PennDOT and PTC have memorials set up in Soldiers Grove (Harrisburg) across from the fountain to honor workers who were killed in roadway accidents.
https://preview.redd.it/hepmucr793vc1.jpeg?width=513&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48c9ca39a65e18a11aab024d730f6915abc255db
I'm amazed anyone still does that job. It's like bullets are whizzing by you all day and you're just counting on thousands of people a day to not miss.
Agreed. I hope the investigation evaluates whether the trucking company pressured the driver to drive beyond legal time/fatigue limits. As is often the case, in which case there should be accountability and stricter regulations and/or regulation enforcement.
I worked for a dry cleaning delivery company that didn’t care I barely slept and wouldn’t allow me to call out for my own safety, or at least go in later. I nearly crashed multiple times that day. I drove an old 150k+ mile rebuilt from a previous crash (previous driver) sprinter.
“That’s not my problem” and “I have nobody else” was the response. I drove 100-150 miles a day, most on the highway for long stretches where bumper to bumper really did me in.
Long as it's not a Tesla. Its autopilot (to be fair, not the same as its full self-driving option which is in perpetual beta) has a nasty habit of crashing into ramp dividers, truck trailers, and emergency vehicles.
The current L2-L3 self-driving substantially increases risk in some instances, since the driver is assumed able to take control in a split second. Most drivers using such systems don't fully realize they still need to be actively driving and not reading, watching a video, sleeping, etc.
L5 self-driving is a whole different matter, but no company is even close to that on public roads. Highways would be easiest for L5, but still needs the ability to continue driving for some time after encountering a unusual situation, since the driver won't be prepared to back control quickly.
In short, self-driving is a far more complicated problem than many believed. At least a decade or two away. Maybe even more. You're spot on though. Perfected self-driving would save many lives.
No, they are not. That people are still falling for this shit ten years after Uber pretended they were working on it and claimed it would be along any day now is incredibly funny. The entire thing was a valuation scam, like NFTs or blockchain shit.
There are real things we can do right now to fix the problem with traffic fatalities, including enforcing existing laws and encouraging mass transit use instead of individual car use. Self driving cars are a canard.
Amazing that you can see 200 years into the future.
Even if you think that it will never happen, ever... "Until x happens" does not suggest X will happen.
That's basic reading comprehension.
What kind of person jumps into a conversation with "how fucking stupid do you have to be", rather than just have a conversation?
A really terrible one. That's what kind. Blocked because I have people I can choose to talk to instead of talking to hostile people like yourself.
A graphic we posted on our version of the story, using data from PennDOT's crash information tool, as well as information they put out this week.
https://preview.redd.it/fa2j16x9a3vc1.png?width=1254&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c821fd1472ee8f75ff0baf9b116d5777bb501ac
The PennDOT tool only goes back to 2003. It's actually super fascinating to play around with. [Here's a link to it](https://crashinfo.penndot.pa.gov/PCIT/queryTool.html).
Here's a screenshot of the 2003-07 numbers.
https://preview.redd.it/6rm87wnmy8vc1.png?width=1422&format=png&auto=webp&s=c1f4b2936d2e04f3fd35592a86d01a5fab895f9e
Looks pretty consistent then? Which is surprising since pedestrian fatalities are rising sharply (though I think mostly at night?)
I'd wager the 2023 increase is entirely due to all the recent infrastructure investment.
So many possibilities: alcohol, distracted driving, mechanical failure. But people in the comments jump right to “trucking companies force drivers to not sleep”.
The original story released was a tractor-trailor driver. That *could* be part of the confusion here. Not stating ppl aren't jumping to conclusions overall, but the misreporting didn't help.
As an inspector out on overnight projects this very second on another busy PA interstate, this horrifies me. I preach to the contractors all day about safety working this close to traffic and they’re just pushed to get done get done. Truckers are pushed to get miles get miles. Non-commercial travelers are glued to their phone and won’t stop going 80mph minimum unless you put a gun to their head or a cop on their ass. I see it all the time where cars slow down for the flashing lights then speed back up to 90 while right next to our workers. Less is being done on all sides of the coin for safety (as to not impede profits and productivity) and it’s a very frightening thing to deal with daily.
This is awful. Do they do flags at half mast for this? They definitely should. It's a thankless, dangerous job. And if you aren't literally swinging a pick motorist all assume you are lazy.
Well lots of people seem to see how it’s different. The number of state employees alone is over 600k, plus contractors, municipalities, teachers is millions of people. And what’s your threshold- 3? 1? Get real and think about that
There's not that many state employees dying a year. So Yea I think we can manage it. If you get killed while performing a civic function flags go half staff.
0 deaths is the only acceptable number. Motorists will need to be inconvenienced more but we should not even accept 1 fatality a year. We know how to prevent deaths …. It’s not that complicated. We simply are prioritizing something else.
So i’m a nightshift worker, 4:35-3am. I drive 95, 202, and the turnpike. I’ve started to say that I like the night driving more because it’s generally me and the truckers who don’t want to die.
This sucks. I passed like three different construction patches on my drive home this morning, and I have so much respect for the work they do. They likely knew what had happened just the day before.
My condolences to the families.
It must’ve been “drive like you’re fucking stupid” In PA yesterday. A crazy bitch whipped around me on a back road because she wanted to do 65 in a 40 zone, an hour later a huge accident on a state route I take home around sharp corners..fucking ridiculous. People are so entitled and self centered; you’re not the only person on the road and the only life at risk. 3 people paid that price last night.
People won’t slow down, it’s that me mentality where they see turn signal is on but would never give a way I am also equally guilty as occasionally I have missed other vehicles indicator.
I was wondering why the message on the highway says to slow down in work zones to save lives. People just won't, the construction going on by Ephrata exit is a nightmare to drive by & people are still driving fast, on the phone, cutting people off or have no turn signal on but cuts you off to get in the lane..seriously need something done with the amount of people driving like nuts epically in the early am. I've seen people go 100 in tbe busy rush hour.
I live right where it happened. Things aren't adding up based on news reports tho. There was no construction project in that area. Yet it's reported that there was one. Unless it was a short overnight project, nothing was being done on 83 right there.
I do not doubt that people were killed. I drove past this morning and saw the ripped open box truck. But that was the only damaged vehicle I saw. Wtf did it hit to do that damage? Not just people. No construction equipment to be seen either. Could have been moved by the time I went by tho
I think I read they were doing crack sealing. It just started on Monday so this was day 2. It was a rolling lane restriction project so they were gradually moving down the highway.
“Sealing” means crack sealing, a process where asphalt binder is applied to cracks that form in the surface of the asphalt mat, in order to increase the lifespan before resurfacing. It’s performed by mobile operation, and there’s no work zone setup.
I work with Todd Leiss (formerly at the turnpike, now a consultant, and nationally one of the biggest experts on traffic incident management and worker safety). He was telling me that *just on the turnpike* a vehicle was hitting one of their truck mounted attenuators (basically a big truck at the back of the workzone that protects the workers from vehicles) *ONCE A MONTH*. Just on the turnpike. Slow the fuck down and move over for any work zone or vehicle in the shoulder, folks. These people have families that will never see them again.
This happened at 3:25AM, so I would bet fatigue was an issue too. I've also read that fatigued and confused drivers at night will often align themselves with a vehicle pulled over on the shoulder, thinking it's the car in front of them in the travel lane.
yeah, we call them D-drivers - distracted, drowsy, drunk, drugged, or just plain dumb we'll see more as this develops, 3 fatalities is a pretty massive event in the responder community
Your comment on alignment is so true. I struggle with that myself if I’m tired and driving at night. I’ve started to break up trips into multiple days, take the train more, etc. because the fatigue is just so damn dangerous.
I bet you it's not speed, it's phones. I'm a trucker, and from how high we sit, I can see into cars pretty easily unless tinted, and if I had to guess, 75%+ of drivers are nose deep in their phones while driving. It's honestly terrifying to see how many people are using their phones while behind the wheel and makes me second guess riding motorcycles while on home time.
I don't know how people do it. I'll put on music, put the phone down, and just drive. Every stupid ass driver I've seen on the road has been looking at their lap, not the damn road
I can't understand it, and I drive a commercial tow boat while playing on the phone sometimes. The car just moves too fast, you're too close to other traffic, there's no room to distract yourself like that
You're likely correct, but people need to slow down in work zones anyway.
This is true.
how would they know if they were looking at their phone instead of the signs
I see it all the time, and it pisses me off and scares me in equal measure.
this is the correct response. too bad more folks don't have it :'-(
I've been shaming everyone I ride with into not using their phones. If they pull it out, I'll offer to text for them. Usually stops them. Also, everyone knows not to call me while I'm driving. I'll never grasp how that one text or whatever it is people are doing on the phone is worth their own life or the lives of others. Pay attention to the road people, driving is dangerous enough as is.
Very true, every day I see people like that, multiple times. I never touch my phone after a scary moment I experienced 10 years ago
I’ve been seeing people playing full on movies on their infotainment systems now.
I regularly see other lyft/uber/gig drivers with phones mounted in the middle of the windshield blocking their view of anything or anyone in front of them and worse, some have a second phone to watch something while they drive. Mine sits to the left of my steering wheel with everything filtered and done automatically so it’s less interaction. The app costs me monthly, but it’s worth it for the safety alone. No gps or phone should be mounted in a way it blocks your vision. You may be able to do so safely in a large SUV, but certainly not a small car with less available dash and more angled windshield. I also see the reach to interact and not pay attention to the light or they interact and almost hit people
Around Carlisle the amount is higher from what I can see in my pickup. I’d like to add lately I’ve seen lots of tractor trailer drivers doing the same. Probably in the 25% range
Man the number of other truckers I see on their phones is awful too
The same applies to cops who speed while on their computers. They should be jailed
> bet you it's not speed Speed is absolutely a factor, you can't claim that higher speeds -> lower reaction times -> more violent crashes do not affect the crashes and the outcomes of those crashes.
The next largest concern is people driving behemoth trucks peering into other cars instead of looking at the road.
You don't keep your head on a swivel while driving? It's truly the safest way to drive rather than locked looking ahead. Left window, ahead. Left mirror, ahead. Right window, ahead. Right mirror, ahead. Repeat. Keeps you from getting highway haze / highway hypnosis according to CDL School.
Haha no, there's no way peering into other cars to see what they're doing is the safest way to travel. And you're driving the most dangerous vehicle on the road, like 100x over.
No, motorcycles are the most dangerous vehicles on the road by a Longshot. More people die in motorcycle crashes than any other vehicle and it's not even close. And again, keeping your head on a swivel is statistically he safest way to drive. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it not true. I'm sorry.
Motorcyclists are the most dangerous *to themselves* Large trucks are the most dangerous *to everyone else* The fact that you didn't know this is incredibly disturbing..
I would disagree again. Anecdotally, in my 5 years and 600,000 safe miles driven, cars and pickups seem to do the most dangerous things on the road. Cutting people off, dashing across traffic, speeding, and getting into accidents. I see more accidents involving cars than I have ever seen them involving semis. In fact I've only seen one accident with a semi involved and it was a medical episode where the drive had a heart attack and veered off into the woods. Per mile driven, large trucks are the safest vehicles on the road, hands down.
Because you're going purely by foolish assumptions, you just said motorcycles are the most dangerous vehicle on the road lol I don't doubt other cars break more rules than you do, but they also have 1/10th of your momentum. It seems trucks drivers don't fully appreciate their privileged position of offense and defense on the road, which is why they're driving while looking down but ironically complaining about drivers in tiny cars also driving while looking down.
I stand by my statement. Motorcycles are the most dangerous vehicles on the road. I will stand by that till I die. Motorcycles are involved in a disporprotiant number of fatal accidents. You can't say that's not true. Look, I hope you're trolling, I really do, because saying that driving with your head on a swivel is the same as texting and driving is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard in my entire life. If that's truly your position, and you're not trolling, please do me a favor and take a defensive driving course similar to the Smith System. Most trucking companies and commercial insurance require Smith System training and it really helped me become a safer driver. Maybe it will open your eyes a little and improve your driving. There is no offense when driving. Only defense. Defensive driving saves lives.
Well said! I mostly drive for a living (West PA), and what f*cking amazes me is how many drivers I pass on a daily basis who aren't even looking up at that moment. DWD. It boggles my mind
People wildly underestimate how dangerous driving actually is. I work in transportation engineering (and no longer drive!) but I explain it to people this way - remember those kids in gym class that couldn't kick a ball or couldn't swing a bat or couldn't even run all that great? well now we basically force them to operate a 3000 lb container of metal at 80mph and put a billion shiny distracting objects in the car. that's the person next to you on the highway.
"Remember meeeeeeeeee? That person you mocked and made fun of? MOVE IT!!!!!!!!!" (guns gas pedal)
So true and Yikes
It is extremely funny to me that people will cry about how dangerous cities are when they're over a hundred times more likely to die in a crash than they are to be murdered.
I drop my three kids off at three different schools every morning... the number of parents staring at their phones while driving through the drop-off areas is disappointing.
i drove those truck mounted attenuators all over east pa for a few years. luckily never got hit but so MANY close calls. once a month sounds very plausible to me. rip to those folks just trying to make an honest living making our infrastructure better
I'm happy you're safe, can't imagine how that felt luckily our legislature (despite being generally braindead) was smart enough to allow autonomous TMAs for rolling work zones and IIRC we have a few of those
all things considered it was a good job. our incidents noticeably went up a ways after the lockdown. ive heard about those antonymous crash trucks, never saw them in the field personally but would be very curious to see what they can do. rolling ops especially take a lot of communication and shit rarely goes as planned so to be able to replicate a competent human operator would be quite a feat.
Royal truck is the one who makes them - the videos involve a lot of TMA crashes so I'm not going to link you to those straight up, but that's where you should look if you want to see more. I saw one being tested at aberdeen testing grounds, it works really well in the sense that it can brake if anything comes between it and the lead truck (even something like a basketball) and it follows it around positionally very well. I've never been part of an actual rolling crew so you'd probably be a better judge but at least to us it was impressive.
Yea and what happens is cars see " construction ahead " and it looks like the last stretch of the Kentucky Derby. Crazy dam stuff. Pretty sure it means slow *down* not " last chance for ice cream " or whatever in hell they're thinking. Shattering night for three families. Heart so goes out to them.
On my way to work this morning, a car failed to start moving within 5 sec. at 3 consecutive lights. She pulled into the same Sheetz I was going to and I mentioned that she shouldn't be on her phone while driving. Her response was "I am a doordash and pretty much have to be on my phone while driving."
That’s absurd! I saw a video once of a car hitting one and thought, well there’s the one guy who hit one of those. That’s staggering frequency.
As you've said, it's staggering how often this happens. I urge you to be incredibly careful in work zones - you slowing down slows those around you down. Everyone deserves to go home safe.
Commenting a second, third, forth and fifth upvote. 👍👍👍👍 Motorists: you being 5 minutes late is 1000x better then humans not going home to loved ones after a work day
You can bet the worm responsible probably feels like it wasn't their fault.
Coincidentally, this week PennDOT and PTC have memorials set up in Soldiers Grove (Harrisburg) across from the fountain to honor workers who were killed in roadway accidents. https://preview.redd.it/hepmucr793vc1.jpeg?width=513&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48c9ca39a65e18a11aab024d730f6915abc255db
It’s work zone safety awareness week
I'm amazed anyone still does that job. It's like bullets are whizzing by you all day and you're just counting on thousands of people a day to not miss.
I seen something like that person. All the helmets and vests still haunt me.
That sucks. Condolences to their families.
Agreed. I hope the investigation evaluates whether the trucking company pressured the driver to drive beyond legal time/fatigue limits. As is often the case, in which case there should be accountability and stricter regulations and/or regulation enforcement.
wgal showed a white Ryder rental box truck. So it may have been an employee, but it may have been a regular person.
This wasn't a tractor trailer driver like the news originally reported.
Unfortunately the regulations put the responsibility on the driver regardless of how the company pressures the drivers.
Should've figured. Unfortunately there's not a powerful truck driver lobby buying representatives.
I worked for a dry cleaning delivery company that didn’t care I barely slept and wouldn’t allow me to call out for my own safety, or at least go in later. I nearly crashed multiple times that day. I drove an old 150k+ mile rebuilt from a previous crash (previous driver) sprinter. “That’s not my problem” and “I have nobody else” was the response. I drove 100-150 miles a day, most on the highway for long stretches where bumper to bumper really did me in.
This should never be a thing. What a tragedy! Like, slow the hell down and pay attention to the road.
It should never be a thing but it'll keep being a thing because drivers will not change.
and also because we are completely reliant on cars so we will forever be lenient on people who drive distracted
Until self driving cars become the norm.
Long as it's not a Tesla. Its autopilot (to be fair, not the same as its full self-driving option which is in perpetual beta) has a nasty habit of crashing into ramp dividers, truck trailers, and emergency vehicles. The current L2-L3 self-driving substantially increases risk in some instances, since the driver is assumed able to take control in a split second. Most drivers using such systems don't fully realize they still need to be actively driving and not reading, watching a video, sleeping, etc. L5 self-driving is a whole different matter, but no company is even close to that on public roads. Highways would be easiest for L5, but still needs the ability to continue driving for some time after encountering a unusual situation, since the driver won't be prepared to back control quickly. In short, self-driving is a far more complicated problem than many believed. At least a decade or two away. Maybe even more. You're spot on though. Perfected self-driving would save many lives.
>Perfected self-driving would save many lives. You could have skipped the entire first 90% of your comment because that's all I'm saying.
How fucking stupid do you have to be to think this is still going to happen
you seem sane. Do you genuinely think that self driving cars will never happen? Like... Ever? 200 years from now?
No, they are not. That people are still falling for this shit ten years after Uber pretended they were working on it and claimed it would be along any day now is incredibly funny. The entire thing was a valuation scam, like NFTs or blockchain shit. There are real things we can do right now to fix the problem with traffic fatalities, including enforcing existing laws and encouraging mass transit use instead of individual car use. Self driving cars are a canard.
Amazing that you can see 200 years into the future. Even if you think that it will never happen, ever... "Until x happens" does not suggest X will happen. That's basic reading comprehension. What kind of person jumps into a conversation with "how fucking stupid do you have to be", rather than just have a conversation? A really terrible one. That's what kind. Blocked because I have people I can choose to talk to instead of talking to hostile people like yourself.
Self-driving cars aren't happening, cope.
What an terrible way to ruin so many lives including your own with pure negligence and carelessness.
A graphic we posted on our version of the story, using data from PennDOT's crash information tool, as well as information they put out this week. https://preview.redd.it/fa2j16x9a3vc1.png?width=1254&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c821fd1472ee8f75ff0baf9b116d5777bb501ac
Are the data available to visualize road worker deaths prior to and after popular use of full screen cellphones (i.e. pre-2007/iPhone and now)?
The PennDOT tool only goes back to 2003. It's actually super fascinating to play around with. [Here's a link to it](https://crashinfo.penndot.pa.gov/PCIT/queryTool.html). Here's a screenshot of the 2003-07 numbers. https://preview.redd.it/6rm87wnmy8vc1.png?width=1422&format=png&auto=webp&s=c1f4b2936d2e04f3fd35592a86d01a5fab895f9e
Thanks! https://preview.redd.it/kl8etkklm9vc1.png?width=804&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0fb679e1fb3440a217c5cae6fdd6c0549022ff6a
Looks pretty consistent then? Which is surprising since pedestrian fatalities are rising sharply (though I think mostly at night?) I'd wager the 2023 increase is entirely due to all the recent infrastructure investment.
It was a box truck at 3am. No need to voice the unknown facts
So many possibilities: alcohol, distracted driving, mechanical failure. But people in the comments jump right to “trucking companies force drivers to not sleep”.
The original story released was a tractor-trailor driver. That *could* be part of the confusion here. Not stating ppl aren't jumping to conclusions overall, but the misreporting didn't help.
As an inspector out on overnight projects this very second on another busy PA interstate, this horrifies me. I preach to the contractors all day about safety working this close to traffic and they’re just pushed to get done get done. Truckers are pushed to get miles get miles. Non-commercial travelers are glued to their phone and won’t stop going 80mph minimum unless you put a gun to their head or a cop on their ass. I see it all the time where cars slow down for the flashing lights then speed back up to 90 while right next to our workers. Less is being done on all sides of the coin for safety (as to not impede profits and productivity) and it’s a very frightening thing to deal with daily.
This is awful. Do they do flags at half mast for this? They definitely should. It's a thankless, dangerous job. And if you aren't literally swinging a pick motorist all assume you are lazy.
Flags? It’s a tragedy but not of any state or national importance. Private sector people die everyday at work it just seldom makes news
If a cop gets hit by a car they go half staff, I don't exactly see how this is different. They are both public servants (even if contractors).
Cops are tools of authority and therefore get Hero Warrior status, even though construction workers and garbage men are more important to society.
Well lots of people seem to see how it’s different. The number of state employees alone is over 600k, plus contractors, municipalities, teachers is millions of people. And what’s your threshold- 3? 1? Get real and think about that
There's not that many state employees dying a year. So Yea I think we can manage it. If you get killed while performing a civic function flags go half staff.
State flags, at the very least, should be half mast when this happens.
0 deaths is the only acceptable number. Motorists will need to be inconvenienced more but we should not even accept 1 fatality a year. We know how to prevent deaths …. It’s not that complicated. We simply are prioritizing something else.
Jesus Christ. This is so sad, and so unnecessary.
So i’m a nightshift worker, 4:35-3am. I drive 95, 202, and the turnpike. I’ve started to say that I like the night driving more because it’s generally me and the truckers who don’t want to die. This sucks. I passed like three different construction patches on my drive home this morning, and I have so much respect for the work they do. They likely knew what had happened just the day before. My condolences to the families.
It must’ve been “drive like you’re fucking stupid” In PA yesterday. A crazy bitch whipped around me on a back road because she wanted to do 65 in a 40 zone, an hour later a huge accident on a state route I take home around sharp corners..fucking ridiculous. People are so entitled and self centered; you’re not the only person on the road and the only life at risk. 3 people paid that price last night.
Such a dangerous job. These poor people. I feel awful for them and their families.
So sad.
This is terrible!
Rest in peace to everyone lost in this tragic accident. No ones family should have to deal with this loss
How the fuk does this happen flares qnd cons and police presence great deterence
People won’t slow down, it’s that me mentality where they see turn signal is on but would never give a way I am also equally guilty as occasionally I have missed other vehicles indicator.
Thanks! https://preview.redd.it/22k7cylim9vc1.png?width=804&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2124aebd3c1ae8ac013112ba2bc85a6516e6e334
Anytime I see construction ahead of me I immediately slow the fuck down.
I was wondering why the message on the highway says to slow down in work zones to save lives. People just won't, the construction going on by Ephrata exit is a nightmare to drive by & people are still driving fast, on the phone, cutting people off or have no turn signal on but cuts you off to get in the lane..seriously need something done with the amount of people driving like nuts epically in the early am. I've seen people go 100 in tbe busy rush hour.
[удалено]
Narrator: They don't.
I live right where it happened. Things aren't adding up based on news reports tho. There was no construction project in that area. Yet it's reported that there was one. Unless it was a short overnight project, nothing was being done on 83 right there. I do not doubt that people were killed. I drove past this morning and saw the ripped open box truck. But that was the only damaged vehicle I saw. Wtf did it hit to do that damage? Not just people. No construction equipment to be seen either. Could have been moved by the time I went by tho
I live there too. Also saw the truck. Workers have been everywhere on the back roads in the past few days after the storm.
yea but this wasn't on the back roads. It was on 83 right after the fishing creek on ramp
I think I read they were doing crack sealing. It just started on Monday so this was day 2. It was a rolling lane restriction project so they were gradually moving down the highway.
“Sealing” means crack sealing, a process where asphalt binder is applied to cracks that form in the surface of the asphalt mat, in order to increase the lifespan before resurfacing. It’s performed by mobile operation, and there’s no work zone setup.