Originally Posted by
billridesbikes
Except, at the behest of the automotive companies, we’ve been placing the blame on drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians for a century, but it doesn’t work because the human animal is very susceptible to distraction. But, by golly, we just need to blame drivers and cyclists for their mistakes and deaths so they’ll be better. Solved! We hear this and repeat it so many time we think it’s a fact, when we’re just repeating useless propaganda. But whats your solution? More police presence and more tickets? I’m sure that’ll work this time.
Instead of repeating tired mantras at each funeral and painting ghost bikes its time to do something different. The solution is better design, social engineering, and technology. We’ve done it with car and road design to make things safe for the driver, now its time to do it for everyone else. The environment through which you move has a profound effect on your behavior.
It's a great idea, but the problem is that the mentality of car owners has been pushed to the point that anyone driving a car feels that "the roads belong to cars" and cars (not humans) have priority. That mentality has to change first.
Yeah, the irony is that anyone not in a car is "merely a human..." but never mind... that notion just doesn't seem to cut through the "my car is me" and "the value of my car is how important I am."