It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure travel,
aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.

"Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair with
fast cars.

The number of fatalities on US roads is on track to fall by 10% this
year to around 37,000 - the lowest since 1961, according to research
suggesting that deaths are plummeting as people cut out leisure
travel, especially in the evenings, to save money.

When global oil prices accelerated during the spring, the number of
fatalities slumped by 22% in March and by 18% in April, the University
of Michigan's transportation research institute found.

"It seems as if we have changed our driving behaviour rapidly and
drastically in the last few months," said Michael Sivak, a research
professor at the institute.

As cash-strapped motorists look for savings, they first tend to reduce
their mileage on recreational outings. These are often in the dark and
are more likely to be on high-speed rural roads than on relatively
safe urban commuter routes..."

More:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/26/energyefficiency.usa

--
World Carfree Network
http://www.worldcarfree.net/
Help for your car-addicted friends in the U.K.

Doug wrote:
> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure travel,
> aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
>
> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair with
> fast cars.

OT in uk.transport

Doug  gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the rocketing
> price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair with fast cars.
> 
> The number of fatalities on US roads is on track to fall by 10% this
> year to around 37,000

Just for your information... Adjusted for the difference in population 
between the UK and the US, that's around 2.5 times the road death rate of 
the UK.

> - the lowest since 1961, according to research
> suggesting that deaths are plummeting as people cut out leisure travel,
> especially in the evenings, to save money.

> "It seems as if we have changed our driving behaviour rapidly and
> drastically in the last few months," said Michael Sivak, a research
> professor at the institute.

And do you know why? Because their fuel taxes have always been far lower 
than ours, so the rises in the oil price (together with the plummeting 
Dollar) have meant that they see the full increase - whilst we, with our 
high fuel taxes, are sheltered.

In other words, the high fuel taxes here have been counter-productive if 
you view traffic reduction as a good thing.

Adrian wrote:
> Doug  gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
> saying:
>
>> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
>> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair
>> with fast cars.
>>
>> The number of fatalities on US roads is on track to fall by 10% this
>> year to around 37,000
>
> Just for your information... Adjusted for the difference in population
> between the UK and the US, that's around 2.5 times the road death
> rate of the UK.
>
>> - the lowest since 1961, according to research
>> suggesting that deaths are plummeting as people cut out leisure
>> travel, especially in the evenings, to save money.
>
>> "It seems as if we have changed our driving behaviour rapidly and
>> drastically in the last few months," said Michael Sivak, a research
>> professor at the institute.
>
> And do you know why? Because their fuel taxes have always been far
> lower than ours, so the rises in the oil price (together with the
> plummeting Dollar) have meant that they see the full increase -
> whilst we, with our high fuel taxes, are sheltered.
>
> In other words, the high fuel taxes here have been counter-productive
> if you view traffic reduction as a good thing.

There's also the fact that you have to wear a seatbelt by law in many 
states, and cars are getting safer.

Mike P

"Brimstone"  wrote in message 
news:9IqdnYjO9LmAmijVnZ2dnUVZ8vOdnZ2d@bt.com...
> Doug wrote:
>> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure travel,
>> aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
>>
>> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
>> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair with
>> fast cars.
>
> OT in uk.transport

 Not really , as there is the same effect felt over here.
Roads *are* quieter and traffic does go slower on the motorway , though the 
two combine to give similar overall journey times

-- 
Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger , then I hide until it goes away"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk

Dr Zoidberg wrote:
> "Brimstone"  wrote in message
> news:9IqdnYjO9LmAmijVnZ2dnUVZ8vOdnZ2d@bt.com...
>> Doug wrote:
>>> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure travel,
>>> aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
>>>
>>> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
>>> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair
>>> with fast cars.
>>
>> OT in uk.transport
>
> Not really , as there is the same effect felt over here.
> Roads *are* quieter and traffic does go slower on the motorway ,
> though the two combine to give similar overall journey times

Yes, it does go slower. It was that slow it took me 5 hours to do what 
usually takes me 2.5 hours last Friday afternoon. Traffic jams everywhere.

So, excuse me if I don't believe this "less congestion" stories. Never seems 
to be happening when I'm on the roads.

Mike P

Mike P wrote:
> Dr Zoidberg wrote:
>> "Brimstone"  wrote in message
>> news:9IqdnYjO9LmAmijVnZ2dnUVZ8vOdnZ2d@bt.com...
>>> Doug wrote:
>>>> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure
>>>> travel, aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
>>>>
>>>> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
>>>> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair
>>>> with fast cars.
>>>
>>> OT in uk.transport
>>
>> Not really , as there is the same effect felt over here.
>> Roads *are* quieter and traffic does go slower on the motorway ,
>> though the two combine to give similar overall journey times
>
> Yes, it does go slower. It was that slow it took me 5 hours to do what
> usually takes me 2.5 hours last Friday afternoon. Traffic jams
> everywhere.
> So, excuse me if I don't believe this "less congestion" stories.
> Never seems to be happening when I'm on the roads.
>
That's because you're part of the problem.

"Mike P"  wrote in message 
news:6hkmofFmc01tU1@mid.individual.net...
> Dr Zoidberg wrote:
>> "Brimstone"  wrote in message
>> news:9IqdnYjO9LmAmijVnZ2dnUVZ8vOdnZ2d@bt.com...
>>> Doug wrote:
>>>> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure travel,
>>>> aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
>>>>
>>>> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
>>>> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair
>>>> with fast cars.
>>>
>>> OT in uk.transport
>>
>> Not really , as there is the same effect felt over here.
>> Roads *are* quieter and traffic does go slower on the motorway ,
>> though the two combine to give similar overall journey times
>
> Yes, it does go slower. It was that slow it took me 5 hours to do what 
> usually takes me 2.5 hours last Friday afternoon. Traffic jams everywhere.

Erm , that was the friday before a long bank holiday weekend , hence the 
roads would be busier than normal.

> So, excuse me if I don't believe this "less congestion" stories. Never 
> seems to be happening when I'm on the roads.
>
It does for me.
My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I can 
drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as well as time

-- 
Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger , then I hide until it goes away"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk

Dr Zoidberg wrote:
> "Mike P"  wrote in message
> news:6hkmofFmc01tU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Dr Zoidberg wrote:
>>> "Brimstone"  wrote in message
>>> news:9IqdnYjO9LmAmijVnZ2dnUVZ8vOdnZ2d@bt.com...
>>>> Doug wrote:
>>>>> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure
>>>>> travel, aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
>>>>>
>>>>> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
>>>>> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair
>>>>> with fast cars.
>>>>
>>>> OT in uk.transport
>>>
>>> Not really , as there is the same effect felt over here.
>>> Roads *are* quieter and traffic does go slower on the motorway ,
>>> though the two combine to give similar overall journey times
>>
>> Yes, it does go slower. It was that slow it took me 5 hours to do
>> what usually takes me 2.5 hours last Friday afternoon. Traffic jams
>> everywhere.
>
> Erm , that was the friday before a long bank holiday weekend , hence
> the roads would be busier than normal.

Sorry, my bad, I meant the Friday before. I stayed at home over the B/H to 
avoid the traffic.

>> So, excuse me if I don't believe this "less congestion" stories.
>> Never seems to be happening when I'm on the roads.
>>
> It does for me.
> My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I
> can drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as
> well as time

Schools aren't back yet. My journey is taking less time, and has since 
mid-july. I fully expect it to be total crap again next week though. For 
some reason, it was bad this morning too.

Mike P

"Dr Zoidberg" <AlexNOOO!!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote in message 
news:g93c01$bm7$1@registered.motzarella.org...
> My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I can 
> drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as well as 
> time.

I bet many people would leave home slightly later and drive at the same 
speed as normal in order to arrive at work at the normal time. You are 
probably unusual (though in a good way!) for leaving home at the same time 
as normal but driving slower than you would otherwise.

I was amazed at how quiet the roads were on BH Monday when I drove from 
Oxford to Bath and back. At one point on the M4 in the mid morning, there 
were no cars as far as the eye could see in front of or behind me!

Doug  wrote:

> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure travel,
> aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
> 
> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair with
> fast cars.

So, you're proposing that petrol in the UK should cost the same price as
petrol in the USA?

Well done.

Dr Zoidberg <AlexNOOO!!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote:

> My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I can
> drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as well as time

Have you not noticed that the schools are on holiday at present? I
expect congestion to be back to normal soon.

"Steve Firth" <%steve%@malloc.co.uk> wrote in message 
news:1imc392.19yeb41mnrwcxN%%steve%@malloc.co.uk...
> Dr Zoidberg <AlexNOOO!!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I can
>> drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as well as 
>> time
>
> Have you not noticed that the schools are on holiday at present? I
> expect congestion to be back to normal soon.


Yes , of course I have.
It's been a lot quieter since fuel hit £1.20/£1.30 a litre.
At the moment it's deathly on the roads but even before the schools broke up 
it's been a lot better than last year

-- 
Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger , then I hide until it goes away"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk

"Doug"  wrote in message 
news:fcb9ef3e-6f66-4875-96e2-866f12eab1a2@k13g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> It just gets better and better. They are cutting out leisure travel,
> aka wasteful hypermobility, and saving lives.
>
> "Highways in the US are at their safest since the 1960s as the
> rocketing price of petrol puts a strain on America's love affair with
> fast cars.
>
> The number of fatalities on US roads is on track to fall by 10% this
> year to around 37,000 - the lowest since 1961, according to research
> suggesting that deaths are plummeting as people cut out leisure
> travel, especially in the evenings, to save money.
>
> When global oil prices accelerated during the spring, the number of
> fatalities slumped by 22% in March and by 18% in April, the University
> of Michigan's transportation research institute found.
>
> "It seems as if we have changed our driving behaviour rapidly and
> drastically in the last few months," said Michael Sivak, a research
> professor at the institute.
>
> As cash-strapped motorists look for savings, they first tend to reduce
> their mileage on recreational outings. These are often in the dark and
> are more likely to be on high-speed rural roads than on relatively
> safe urban commuter routes..."
>
> More:
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/26/energyefficiency.usa

Doug believes yet another statistical survey in the papers, despite the word 
"suggests" in the title, which is another of those weasel words like "could" 
and "may" meaning "we don't have proof, so we can't be held to account if it 
turns out we're talking garbage."

Mortimer wrote:
> "Dr Zoidberg" <AlexNOOO!!!!!!!!@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote in message 
> news:g93c01$bm7$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>> My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I can 
>> drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as well as 
>> time.
> 
> I bet many people would leave home slightly later and drive at the same 
> speed as normal in order to arrive at work at the normal time. You are 
> probably unusual (though in a good way!) for leaving home at the same time 
> as normal but driving slower than you would otherwise.

This would appear to be the way that people cope with schools going back 
IME. Whether you walk, cycle, drive or live on top of work you can't 
help but notice the traffic increase when the schools do go back, but 
the increase generally starts outside the hours that schools start and 
stop. Most of the cars you see in that traffic don't have any kids in 
them. From our office window you can see the traffic on one bridge (the 
only entry to the city in that particular direction) back up more when 
the schools are in, even at 7.30 am.

-- 
John Wright

"What would happen if you eliminated the autism genes from the gene pool?

You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting and
socialising and not getting anything done!" - Professor Temple Grandin

On 27 Aug, 13:58, %ste...@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) wrote:
> Dr Zoidberg <AlexNOOO!!!!!...@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote:
> > My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I can
> > drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as well as time
>
> Have you not noticed that the schools are on holiday at present? I
> expect congestion to be back to normal soon.

In case you hadn't noticed yet, Filth, the stats cover a much longer
period than the school holidays.

--
World Carfree Network
http://www.worldcarfree.net/
Help for your car-addicted friends in the U.K.

Doug  wrote:

> On 27 Aug, 13:58, %ste...@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) wrote:
> > Dr Zoidberg <AlexNOOO!!!!!...@drzoidberg.co.uk> wrote:
> > > My journey to work now takes slightly less than it did before and I
> > > can drive 10mph slower on the motorway to do this , saving fuel as
> > > well as time
> >
> > Have you not noticed that the schools are on holiday at present? I
> > expect congestion to be back to normal soon.
> 
> In case you hadn't noticed yet, Filth, the stats cover a much longer
> period than the school holidays.

Source?