School kids are allowed to cross four-lane highways?

[moonman239]

I personally think it's a stupid idea. If a kid needs to cross the highway, the driver can make a U-turn. Or the kid can just go up to the nearest traffic light and cross the street there. Seriously. The more lanes a kid has to cross, the more likely he or she could get run over by a car.

[Justa Lol]

no... we need some kind of population control.

[dilettante]

Just what we need, don't-give-a-damn parents yammering on their iPhones juggling lattes while applying makeup in the mirror making illegal U-turns on 4-lane highways to drop their little darlings at the curb.

How many crashed cars in a row constitutes a "pileup" anyway?

[baja_yu]

Just think of cars as lions in the jungle, and kids like... kids... in the jungle. The ones that get hit are not smart or capable enough. So it's like natural selection.

Also, when I was a kid we had Frogger to play and train for situations like this. Sadly, today's games like World Of Warcraft, Skyrim etc. don't prepare kids for real-life situations. I also learned about working in a fast food restaurant playing a game called Big Deal on Commodore 64 (http://www.lemon64.com/?game_id=265)

[Shaggy Hiker]

I was going to suggest that this might be the practice at Frogger Junior High, but Baja beat me to the reference.

[thebuffalo]

Population control, keep it up. Anyone who has seen Idiocracy knows whats coming for us.

[dilettante]

Or skip Idiocracy and just read typical programming threads here of late.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Frankly, I think four lanes is only suitable for younger kids. After all, they are too predictable, and usually tend to have an island of safety in the middle. You really need to have five lanes, or even just three. The key is to have that center lane to add an element of doubt to the whole process. With even numbers of lanes, people can predict which direction cars are going to be coming from, but once you add that central lane you can never quite be sure.

[Justa Lol]

Population control, keep it up. Anyone who has seen Idiocracy knows whats coming for us.

well when i wrote that i wasn't thinking about Idiocracy.. but that movie was nice xD i think thats where we are headed.. but in fact i was thinking about jobs getting replaced by robots.. in the end there will be so many people without jobs because robots have taken over the jobs, which will result in war, soon.

i was watching a fantastic movie yesterday, there was a bus that was heading towards a sign that said "Revolution or die" and then it crashed into the sign.. i guess they chose die. (movie: Juan of the dead)

[Justa Lol]

i Agree lol

let the less intelligent people die.

[honeybee]

Frankly, I think four lanes is only suitable for younger kids. After all, they are too predictable, and usually tend to have an island of safety in the middle. You really need to have five lanes, or even just three. The key is to have that center lane to add an element of doubt to the whole process. With even numbers of lanes, people can predict which direction cars are going to be coming from, but once you add that central lane you can never quite be sure.

Tell you what, we don't have lanes over here! We just tend to drive on whatever surface appears to be more even than the others. I think that's why Indian students are outshining the others. Heck, I could never guess those few bucks saved on the paint for marking lanes could go such a long way to make India the intellectual hub. World sure has strange ways!

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[Shaggy Hiker]

We just tend to drive on whatever surface appears to be more even than the others.

That sounds a lot like Boston....but they aren't the intellectual hub of anywhere.

[baja_yu]

To me it sounds like Egypt. But they don't look for even surfaces, just that a car can pass through it and it's fine. Usually it's on the right side, but that's in no way a strict requirement. The only reason they don't drive on the (few) sidewalks is because the curbs are 15-20 inches high.

[moonman239]

Frankly, I think four lanes is only suitable for younger kids. After all, they are too predictable, and usually tend to have an island of safety in the middle. You really need to have five lanes, or even just three. The key is to have that center lane to add an element of doubt to the whole process. With even numbers of lanes, people can predict which direction cars are going to be coming from, but once you add that central lane you can never quite be sure.

A four-lane road is a major road and a lot of people will be ticked off because by law they can't pass the school bus. Not to mention that kids can more easily be run over by crossing a four-lane road without the assistance of a traffic light or crossing guard.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Is your sarcasm detector out of calibration?

[opus]

Don't you have a working trick how to cross a highway? Come on you're in the US, prime to everything.

In the old countries we have. For example Italy:
Your in the centre of a town, lets call the street Via Roma (very tipical), there a several lanes and it is NOT obvious which is going into which direction (of course they switsch direction more then once). Trasffic is a mess, lots of cars and bikes driven by maniacs (i.e locals).
You need to cross this street using a pedestrian crossing with no taffic ligth.
Not a problem, just walk over, keep on walking, the trafic will part likes Moses did part the ocean (the trick is DO NOT LOOK AT ANY CARDRIVER!, if you do, you're lost in the middle of the street).
Why don't you have such tricks?

[baja_yu]

Don't you have a working trick how to cross a highway? Come on you're in the US, prime to everything.

In the old countries we have. For example Italy:
Your in the centre of a town, lets call the street Via Roma (very tipical), there a several lanes and it is NOT obvious which is going into which direction (of course they switsch direction more then once). Trasffic is a mess, lots of cars and bikes driven by maniacs (i.e locals).
You need to cross this street using a pedestrian crossing with no taffic ligth.
Not a problem, just walk over, keep on walking, the trafic will part likes Moses did part the ocean (the trick is DO NOT LOOK AT ANY CARDRIVER!, if you do, you're lost in the middle of the street).
Why don't you have such tricks?

I respect my health and my life way to much to expect every car driver to see me and stop as I, higher than life, cross the road. Especially when you take into account how easy it is to get distracted behind the wheel today with cell phones, a million buttons in the car, shorter and shorter skirts during the summer...

[Shaggy Hiker]

In the US, we don't believe in paying attention to the road. While there are much worse drivers elsewhere, we may pay less attention than most places. Perhaps the two go together? Maybe if the vast majority of the people obey the traffic laws, you don't have to pay as much attention?

The driverless car is in a race with the wearable display. Once drivers in this country have the means to have the internet or movies beamed directly to their eyes while still appearing to be wearing nothing but some glasses, we will have drivers doing so. We seem to be playing a game of chicken with ourselves.

[baja_yu]

http://www.amazon.com/Wheelmate-Lapt.../dp/B000IZGIA8 Notice the images sent by customers

[baja_yu]

I didn't even look at the reviews Very interesting stuff

"Also, i am now dating a midget and she fits nicely on the steering wheel desk which allows us to experiment sexually while driving. This thing is like WD-40 or duct tape, it is a million and one uses!"

[Shaggy Hiker]

We may be the dumbest civilization to ever aspire to the term civilization.

[Shaggy Hiker]

There isn't a single serious comment on there.

[opus]

There isn't a single serious comment on there.

I may be repeating myself, however:

Come on you're in the US, prime to everything.

[FunkyDexter]

Once drivers in this country have the means to have the internet or movies beamed directly to their eyes while still appearing to be wearing nothing but some glasses, we will have drivers doing so.

I think you're wrong. Once we have drivers who appear to be wearing nothing but glasses nobodies going to be watching movies at all. Who doesn't go for the naked librarian look?

[honeybee]

That sounds a lot like Boston....but they aren't the intellectual hub of anywhere.

I think we might outscore Boston on the population numbers front. Size does matter!

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[SJWhiteley]

A four-lane road is a major road and a lot of people will be ticked off because by law they can't pass the school bus. Not to mention that kids can more easily be run over by crossing a four-lane road without the assistance of a traffic light or crossing guard.

In at least one state, it is not necessary for approaching traffic on a 4 lane highway to stop for a stopped school bus.

[SJWhiteley]

Don't you have a working trick how to cross a highway? Come on you're in the US, prime to everything.

In the old countries we have. For example Italy:
Your in the centre of a town, lets call the street Via Roma (very tipical), there a several lanes and it is NOT obvious which is going into which direction (of course they switsch direction more then once). Trasffic is a mess, lots of cars and bikes driven by maniacs (i.e locals).
You need to cross this street using a pedestrian crossing with no taffic ligth.
Not a problem, just walk over, keep on walking, the trafic will part likes Moses did part the ocean (the trick is DO NOT LOOK AT ANY CARDRIVER!, if you do, you're lost in the middle of the street).
Why don't you have such tricks?

We do. It's called 'Lawyerin' up'. ... Hit me an' I'll sue your ass off.

[baja_yu]

We do. It's called 'Lawyerin' up'. ... Hit me an' I'll sue your ass off.

If you survive...

[FunkyDexter]

It sounds like, in India, you don't have to stop.

Yeah, but that's OK if you believe in reincarnation.

[honeybee]

That's what she texted while driving a suv on a 5 lane highway.

And rightly so, for if the highway had been bigger, say an eight lane one, she might have survived.

It sounds like, in India, you don't have to stop. Period.

On the contrary we have to brake for so many things within the city limits many folks who start driving on the highways can't shake the old habit off.

Yeah, but that's OK if you believe in reincarnation.

Well, you don't really have a choice!

.

[Nightwalker83]

We may be the dumbest civilization to ever aspire to the term civilization.

Compared to what they did in ancient times I would have to agree!