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Comment by tracker1 | Hacker News Reader

I drive a 392 challenger scat pack shaker... I don't think I've ever had it over 100, though the max is 201. I'm not sure I'd be bothered by a regulator for the top speed.

That said, I don't think speeding is even close to the number 1 killer these days... Cell phones seem to be the leading cause of accidents these days. Maybe they should detect motion over 5mph and turn off display of messaging apps, only bluetooth voice interactions allowed.

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High speed is one of three problem areas Volvo has identified according to their press release. The other two are drunk driving and distraction, including phones. They will present ideas to tackle the other two on March 20.

https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressrele...

Distracted driving is definitely the leading cause these days; driver fatigue, drunk driving and aggressive driving are the other leading causes.

But even if it didn't cause the accident, accidents at reasonable speeds (<30km/h for car-pedestrian, <120km/h for car-car) are usually survivable. At higher speeds, fatalities increase dramatically.

> accidents

I prefer to use the term "collision" because "accident" implies there's nobody to blame.

My Ag Science teacher used to say that. (not so much about collisions, but other incidents)

Definitely.

Like, there's no such thing as a gun accident. If someone ever accidentally gets shot, it means someone wasn't following one of the prime rules of gun safety.

There have definitely been recalls/warnings for firearms which have misfired without anyone's finger on the trigger.

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/06/investigates/sig-sau...

Certainly. I recall seeing a video of a pump shotgun firing while the safety was on.

But as long as you always treat your firearms as loaded and never point it at something you're not willing to kill or destroy, you shouldn't have any "accidents".

I saw the movie last night :)

I saw it years ago, and it was passed off as a joke, but I think it's incredibly true.

I would be willing to bet money that at least 90% of crashes are caused by at least 1 driver doing something stupid. Using their phone while driving, not adequately looking before changing lanes, ignoring signs or traffic lights, driving drunk, etc. Calling these types of crashes "accidents" lessens the responsibility on the person that caused it. When you're in control of a 2,000+ hunk of steel, there's no room for carelessness.

> I drive a 392 challenger scat pack shaker... I don't think I've ever had it over 100

I don't see the point of a vehicle like this unless you drag race it on a regular basis. It has limited utility, is larger than an Abrams tank, guzzles fuel like it's 1998 and couldn't make it around a slalom cone course even with a skilled driver. It's a make a lot of noise and go really fast in a straight line car. That's what it does (nothing wrong with that).

It’s a five seater that is comfortable for a tall person, with classic muscle car looks, cruises nicely, can accelerate half-decently and has a throaty sound.

I don’t have the 392, but a 345, and no other car hits those same bullet points.

I've driven it across the country a few times... twice from AZ through to northern WA, and out to FL once. It's fun to drive, accelerates nicely... for that matter, most of my highway time is in 4cyl (eco mode at 30+mpg). Last drive from WA to Phoenix, the average was 34mpg. On the flip side, I can go uphill and not feel like I'm stuck in molasses.

In town driving I get around 19mpg average... by contrast, the last 4cyl car I had got around 24mpg in town, and was horrible to drive.

I also prefer the looks, and sit very comfortably compared to smaller cars (I'm big and tall). I don't sit comfortably in any other coupe.

Well, "scat" is in the name.

it's fun to drive

entertainment has value to some people

I get it (I'm an amateur race car driver). What I'm saying is, OP is not using the car to it's full potential.

Most people don't use things to their full potential. We have cars with larger engines than needed, CPUs and memory banks that rarely stay above 90%, food that gets tossed out daily, laundry washed and dried at half capacity and below, and so on. Many developed nations would look differently if we used everything to their full potential potential.

My new iphone will actually ask me to confirm that I am not driving before unlocking when it thinks I am

All that adds is an extra step. The type of person who texts while driving is going to lie to their phone and tell it they're a passenger right before they start texting.

What’s worse than distracted driving? Being interrupted while distracted driving.

This depends on whether you have this setting enabled.

I know, but for me it was on by default.

That would really suck if you were a passenger in a car, train, bus, or airplane.

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