Crash into me, part II

Ryan Avent:

I think Yglesias has made this same point before, but it's always good to reiterate the many ways transit can be good for safety. As an adult, I enjoy that I can get home from bars in this city, quickly and easily, by walking or taking transit or hailing a cab. As an occasional driver, I'm very happy to know that other people have those options, as well. This goes for other stuff, too. Young drivers are dangerous to themselves and others. I'd rather my sixteen year old (if I had one) be able to get around via transit than be in a car all the time, and I'm glad sixteen year olds in this city have a transit option. Ditto for older drivers.

Driving is an inherently dangerous act-you're piloting an enormous hunk of metal around at high speed-and should only be done by sober, competent adults who are preferably not distracted by phones or dinner or make-up or the newspaper. It would be nice if those who weren't competent adults or sober could get around without a car, and it would be nice if more people who wanted to read or talk on the phone during their commute could do so without driving. Maybe then, we wouldn't be celebrating 41,000 annual traffic deaths as a good year for highway safety.