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Comment by seydor | Hacker News Reader

bears cannot be built safer

I too am concerned with the bear problem in America. They flout our laws and they’re always illegally crossing our borders! We need stronger politicians who would construct a wall to keep the bears out.

neither can humans be built safer either

Surely cars can and we have seen it over and over

Cars are safer for their occupants, but never really safer for pedestrians. We’re probably making them less safe for pedestrians with all the additional armor and higher center of mass.

> but never really safer for pedestrians.

They can... Automatic breaking is a thing... My car almost had me have an accident while breaking for me (three times)... But it will get better

Hypothetically they could but it appears we are making them less safe for pedestrians and cyclists -

From 2020

> an estimated 38,800 [fatal accidents] that occurred on American streets last year. Pedestrians and cyclists accounted for 8,800 of those fatalities — 23% of the total, up from 6,300 in 2010, when they comprised just 17%. During that period, fatalities for automobile occupants fell

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-08-12/why-are-c...

The only way to make cars hitting pedestrians safer for pedestrians is making cars slower, which is a non-starter.

1] less cars

2] get cars our of cities (see Amsterdam, for example)

3] smaller cars

Smaller cars hit your legs and throw you over the car.

SUVs/trucks hit you in the chest, and drag you under the car.

Ban pedestrians. Also an realistic and effective option.

With terrible externalities, sure.

There are however ways to make cars hit pedestrians less.

Yet

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