WTF Speeding doesn't kill you. Rather doing the proper speed does

dbzeag

Wants to kiss you where it stinks
Jun 9, 2006
17,057
502
548
45
Marklar
₥947
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/21/did-driving-the-speed-limit-cost-a-79-year-old-man-his-life/

On June 15, 2009, 79-year-old Andrew Cavanaugh was t-boned on the passenger side of his 2004 Buick Century while driving through an intersection and subsequently died from injuries he sustained in the collision. Both Cavanaugh and the driver of the 2003 Toyota Camry that struck him, 71-year-old Jacqueline Stinson, were travelling at the posted speed limit of 25 mph at the time of the accident. The only problem was that the stoplight on Cavanaugh's end of the intersection was timed to require a minimum speed of 30 mph for a driver to safely make it through before the light changed from green to red. Investigators found that Cavanaugh had just three seconds to make it across four lanes of traffic. To make matters worse, we wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

Cavanaugh's daughter, Shanon Baker, has since filed a lawsuit accusing Pinellas County, Florida as holding the blame for her father's death. While the light is maintained by the Pinellas County Highway Department, its duration was calibrated by the Florida Department of Transportation when it was first installed in 1998. Since that time, there have been no other reported incidents as a result of the light's timing, and Pinellas County intends to fight Baker's lawsuit.

Three things.

1) Old people suck and should never drive. Either that or they should be required to pass yearly road and written tests.

2) Florida is just full of lose.

3) Every single speed limitation should be reviewed at regular intervals to maintain the objective of keeping traffic safe but flowing and if that means changing speeds or light timings, so be it. But the reviews should be scheduled as a regular event.
 
I'm really confused. The driver ran through a yellow light at 25 mph, and the other car was already travelling at 25 mph as well when it T-boned the other car?

Should the person who struck Andrew been slowing down? And even if they hadn't gotten to a position to stop, couldn't they have noticed that a car was in front of them?

I don't think the speed here is at fault, but driver negligence by Jacqueline. Unless I'm missing something here.
 
What gets me are old people that stop at a light, then take off and run it as though it were a stop sign.
 
I've only ever seen old people do it.

And yes, you can tell they are old. They are the only ones that drive Buicks and wear those stupid hats.
 
What gets me are old people that stop at a light, then take off and run it as though it were a stop sign.

What gets me are people that take their foot off the brake at a light and coast so they're almost halfway into the intersection (like they're trying to get a jump on the light). Then when the light turns green, that same person takes 5-7 seconds to start going again (or it takes them a minute to get up to 35 mph)
 
Speeding is the excuse of ignorant officials who want to make the roads safer. It's negligent driving that results in the most accidents.

Unfortunately they will give a license to anyone these days.
 
I'm sure they're quite aware that it's not a safety issue at all, it's all about jobs and revenue.

Bingo.. Gotta get that cash..

I wanted to file a complaint against my DMV instructor who passed me. He only made me turn right six times. Once out of the DMV, then right, then right, then right and right again, then right back into the DMV.. Never went more than 30mph..
 
What gets me are people that take their foot off the brake at a light and coast so they're almost halfway into the intersection (like they're trying to get a jump on the light). Then when the light turns green, that same person takes 5-7 seconds to start going again (or it takes them a minute to get up to 35 mph)

I like those people becuase they usually get a flash from the red light cams and support the local city.
 
What annoys me is people who don't come to a stop at a red or a stop sign but just slow down and go strong me off... Then driving 5mph below the speed limit. Wtf. You were in a hurry to pull out in front of me, why you go slow now?

Really, the driving test should be multiple parts and be alot more difficult.
 
I am a firm believer in roundabouts so as to eliminate the need for stop signs.