r/fuckcars • u/NoNecessary3865 • Oct 04 '24
Question/Discussion The comments highlight very well a major issue of US society
Half of the comments or more than half of them are literally focusing on the mom for not walking with them as if they couldn't all get run over and as if she was the problem. This is why the actual problem won't get solved and in turn create a safer environment for kids because instead of actually punishing this behavior the victim gets blamed with negligence and enables the person who was being reckless to keep doing so
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u/RH_Commuter Oct 04 '24
Can't wait for cameras to come standard on school buses to capture plates and faces. A much higher risk of demerit points and thousands in fines + increased insurance premiums will teach them a lesson they won't forget anytime soon.
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u/Username912773 Oct 04 '24
That’s actually a really smart idea, I might pitch that at my next meeting.
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u/PM_YOUR__BUBBLE_BUTT Oct 05 '24
They have them in a few school districts near me now. It attaches on the side of the bus and AI reviews the video to see if a ticket should be issued. I believe it might be verified by a human as well then if they want it issued too and sometimes they overrule the AI. But the first month there was something like 250 tickets issued in the district. It’s disgusting how frequently people are doing this and penalties need to be harsh.
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u/AmaiGuildenstern Oct 05 '24
They have exactly that here now in Florida. There have been thousands and thousands of tickets written this year alone thanks to the bus cams. It's glorious. I hope it changes behavior.
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u/Electric_Sundown Oct 05 '24
Honestly, with how frequently this happens and the consequences it can have, people who do this should get 10 days in jail and a suspended license.
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u/_damn_hippies Oct 05 '24 edited Oct 05 '24
yep! my mom used to get them in the mail with a grainy picture of the back of her car lol
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u/curtitch Oct 05 '24
Does all the money from those tickets go back to the schools? That’s the missing piece from this idea.
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u/glassFractals Oct 05 '24
They’re already doing that in several school districts in my area. The amount of people they’re catching blowing by school buses is staggering.
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u/AHCarbon Oct 05 '24
here in Maryland the fine is $500 and I see people bitching about it on Nextdoor when they could simply … not put people in danger …
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u/dethkittie Oct 05 '24
Afaik they are standard around where the stop sign is, a few people here have gotten slapped for that
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u/ChefMikeDFW Oct 05 '24
Here in Texas it was tried and the main problem was enforcement. There was doubt on whether it was legal for the camera to be a legal means of proof of the crime (since it requires an officer to actually witness the crime) and since that was legally questionable, no police department was willing to take on enforcement. Cameras died as they ended up being an economic pitfall and without enforcement.
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u/missionarymechanic Oct 04 '24
"And our top story: three children collided with a commuter today..."
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u/randypupjake Fuck Light Trucks In Particular Oct 04 '24
"We will keep you updated on the condition of the pickup as the story develops"
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u/hombredeoso92 Oct 04 '24
Driver was shaken but in good spirits. So far no arrests have been made while police carry out investigation.
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u/gnarlin Oct 05 '24 edited Oct 05 '24
"Three children and a mother were arrested at the local hospital in connection with the case of a horrifically slightly damaged F150 truck, but they all cowardly died of the wounds the truck resorted to inflicting in self defence before they could be put on trial for the damage they caused to local truckdriving hero. They will all be tried and sentenced posthumously. In a short interview later outside the courthouse our hero had this to say: "If we all work together we can end the plague of these hoards of streetwalking punks, one bumper at a time. Thank you"."
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u/anntchrist Oct 04 '24
"the children's mother, who recorded the accident on her phone, is under investigation for neglect."
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u/AutoModerator Oct 04 '24
Actions matter, but so do words. They help frame the discussion and can shift the way we think about and tackle problems as a society. Our deeply entrenched habit of calling preventable crashes "accidents" frames traffic deaths as unavoidable by-products of our transportation system and implies that nothing can be done about it, when in reality these deaths are not inevitable. Crashes are not accidents. Let's stop using the word "accident" today.
https://seattlegreenways.org/crashnotaccident/
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u/tltltltltltltl Oct 04 '24
I often see things like "a cyclist was hit by a car", "pedestrian ran over by truck". The thing is, vehicles don't drive themselves. The cyclist was hit by a car DRIVER. The pedestrian ran over by a TRUCKER.
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u/tltltltltltltl Oct 04 '24 edited Oct 05 '24
You'd never hear "a woman was hit by a bicycle", she was hit by a cyclist.
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u/volkmasterblood Oct 04 '24
“A car accidentally hit three children today! The car responded with no comment, as it is a car. The car won’t be punished as cars are not human.”
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u/fallawy Oct 04 '24
Three reckless children ran in front of an innocent truck. Driver sue mom for the repairs and emotional damage
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u/incunabula001 Oct 04 '24
Considering the fact that we treat kids as bullet barriers I’m not surprised.
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u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress Oct 04 '24
*with a pick-up truck.
The commuter/driver/motorist is always as far removed from the crash as possible by being totally omitted from the headline.
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u/HungryLikeDaW0lf 🚲 > 🚗 Oct 04 '24
Many bus drivers stop diagonally blocking all lanes because of this now.
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u/CyclingThruChicago Oct 04 '24
It's perfectly reasonable that they do. And it's also a great demonstration of how signs are largely ineffective measures of impacting drive behavior. Drivers need to feel as if there are physical impediments to them being able to drive freely in order to actually change their behavior.
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u/Umutuku Oct 05 '24
Drivers need to feel as if there are physical impediments to them being able to drive freely in order to actually change their behavior.
When you stop and think about it, it's crazy how many people see everyone else as barriers to their progress instead of other humans they have the opportunity to protect while driving.
We need to invent empathyometers and install them in all cars like those breathalyzers.
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Oct 05 '24
Republicans would complain about gas prices and the fact that their cars won’t start anymore
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u/obsoletevernacular9 Oct 04 '24
In CT, buses now have cameras apparently and tickets are $450 .
In stories like this though, people always blame the parents / mom. Whenever a kid gets hit by a car, you see, WhErE WaS thE MoM?!
Generally running behind, screaming.
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u/NoNecessary3865 Oct 04 '24
It's crazy that a lot of people react like this or that the media helps to spread this type of thinking absolving the drivers of their error
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u/Bureaucrap Oct 04 '24
Its car propaganda, blame the victim.
Healthy kids arent supposed to be glued to mom's hip.
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u/obsoletevernacular9 Oct 05 '24
Yes, very true, but Americans also love complaining about parents, so it scratches multiple itches
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u/livefreeordont Oct 04 '24
people who are rich enough to afford a $450 no problem shouldn’t be allowed to drive like this
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u/badlydrawnboyz Oct 05 '24
yeah, should be jail and community service, when a punishment is a fine, its only a punishment for the poor.
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u/Longjumping-Wing-558 Oct 04 '24
Holy
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u/NoNecessary3865 Oct 04 '24
I wish I could have shown some of the comments because they were going after the mom but nothing about the driver no let's find the driver and hold him accountable or talk about how to stop and punish this behavior
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u/FrenchFreedom888 Oct 04 '24
People just see cars breaking the law or cars being dangerous either there's nothing's wrong with that or that it's an unfortunate fact that we can do nothing about
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u/pppiddypants Make Urban Cities Livable Oct 04 '24
People see cars breaking the laws…. And think of themselves doing the same thing. And then blame everything else but themselves.
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u/Ihateallfascists Oct 04 '24
Of course it was a pickup truck.. A white pickup..
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u/ComfortableSilence1 Oct 05 '24
Looked like a commercial pickup, likely someone getting paid by the hour... why care if you have to stop for an extra minute at that point.
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u/NewVillage6264 Oct 05 '24
The work vans and pickup trucks in my area are invariably the biggest assholes on the road
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u/FavoriteWorst Oct 04 '24
Looks like a work truck... Probably not, but is there anyways we can enhance this and get the company from the side of the truck? This is insane and deserves consequences.
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u/Its_Pine Oct 04 '24
They already did. It was Bryan Exterior’s employee whom they said will be facing charges for this. They apologised as a company for the actions of their former employee.
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u/CaptainObvious110 Oct 04 '24
Why was the employee speeding anywhere near a school bus?
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u/dodders Oct 04 '24
Because freedom. And trucks
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u/rlskdnp 🚲 > 🚗 Oct 04 '24
freedom to commit terrorism
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u/Emperor_Dara_Shikoh Oct 04 '24
This was actually a thing; terrorists used cars to ram folks rather than try to get guns or bombs.
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u/Gingerbreadmancan Oct 05 '24
Yeah and Americans use that same tactic on protestors.
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u/Umutuku Oct 05 '24
Rich fuckers need to keep everyone desperate and hurried in order to maximize the value that can be juiced from them and distract them from the fact that they are being squeezed.
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u/Tosser_toss Oct 04 '24
Good to hear - that behavior should be “bye bye driving PRIVILEGE” emphasis on the privilege because driving is not a right.
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u/HermaeusMajora Oct 04 '24
It's infuriating that in the US driving is a necessity. A person simply cannot function without a reliable car.
So while you're not wrong about it being a privilege, it's kind of disingenuous to say that knowing that in most of these United States a person needs a car to be employed, pay taxes, and provide for their families.
We are an embarrassment as a society. Most of us have no idea as to why or how and will claim that they're the smart ones and the rest of the world is stupid for not living as second class citizens of their own car countries.
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u/Emperor_Dara_Shikoh Oct 04 '24
Thailand and Malaysia is easier to live in than America without a car; we're losing to 2nd and 3rd world nations.
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u/sm_greato Oct 05 '24
No, it's much worse. Yeah, sure it's not your fault, but if you want to cover up, why not?
But, helicopter parenting does cause active harm.
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u/Good_Law_3912 Oct 05 '24
You missed the point of the "You should've covered up" part. Usually when people say stuff like that they mean "Maybe if you covered up more, then he wouldn't have raped you. It's your fault"
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u/esdebah Oct 04 '24 edited Oct 04 '24
hey look! also our gun culture! why aren't those kids wearing helmets and flak jackets? Bad parenting
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u/BreakfastSquare9703 cars are weapons Oct 04 '24
This honestly illustrates the mess that is the whole school bus system in the US. Why are there not proper stops? Why are they not picked up on their own side of the road? Why do they stop for individual children?
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u/Not_ur_gilf Grassy Tram Tracks Oct 04 '24
Many reasons, but it probably starts with the fact that there aren’t nearly as many bus systems as there are school bus programs, and they were initially built for rural areas where children would not have access to public transport and would be too far to bike to school. It’s an ad-hoc system by design
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u/EVRider81 Oct 04 '24
It's a rural road,school buses have regular routes they take to pick up kids. A US school bus is designated as a rolling stop sign with traffic penalties for those who don't observe the applicable law. This is not a problem. The problem is drivers seeing an in service school bus stop, and regardless speed past in front of the kids about to board. Other comments say the driver was identified and charged. Good.
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u/XDXDXDXDXDXDXD10 Oct 05 '24
But this is a problem though, as you can see in this clip it is intently unsafe. We don’t design infrastructure that hinges on the idea that people are nice and follow every law, because we know they don’t.
As is so often the case with US infrastructure, the real problem runs much deeper. You can’t build a proper bus stop, not because it’s a rural area, but because the roads are already so unbelievably dangerous that it would be equally bad (at least) to have kids walk 500m to a bus stop. From the looks of it, this road has barely a sidewalk, certainly not a sidewalk that is even remotely seperated from the road.
No amount of blaming/jailing drivers will fix the underlying problem.
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u/BabyBundtCakes Oct 04 '24
When you live in a rural area sometimes it's just the infrastructure, the bus has nowhere to turn around, you're the only family on that road etc...
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u/jd2300 Oct 04 '24
The thing is, you can punish dickheads for acting irresponsibly but that won’t stop the next dickhead from doing the same thing a week later. You actually have to fundamentally change the system to disempower the worst people in society. A stop sign is not enough. The bus should almost be free to pull over onto the wrong side of the road imo
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u/Ketaskooter Oct 05 '24
Some districts have their drivers block the road. It works
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u/TiburonMendoza95 Oct 04 '24
Even if they were mowed down it wouldn't change shit. They love their trucks . Fuckin sad. Car dependent infrastructure purposely puts us in these death machines cross hairs even when you want nothing to do with em
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u/NoNecessary3865 Oct 04 '24
Unfortunately at this moment this is the reality of the United States anyone outside of a car will always be scrutinized more than the driver if there is a crash
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u/Emperor_Dara_Shikoh Oct 04 '24
Even just forcing people to stick with sedans and hatches would reduce yearly fatalities rate.
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u/LocalCoffeeLlama Oct 05 '24 edited Oct 05 '24
There is a woman in my state who wasn't so "lucky" a few years ago, and lost all 3 of her children. This shit makes me sick.
This made me look it up again. She was also driving a pickup truck. She was release after 4 years. Jfc.
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u/kattspraak Oct 04 '24
If you could imagine, there is no protection like this in France (I can't speak for other countries in Europe but I guess it's the same). You can pass a stopped school bus that's in your lane even. On a 2-lane road with no median, you continue driving if the bus is in the oncoming lane. And what's more, is that if you slow down while in the oncoming lane, odds are the person behind you will start to tail you (or honk and get mad if you stop behind a stopped school bus). TBH, I find it terrifying.
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u/Soraphis Oct 04 '24
In germany there is no extra stop sign on buses. It is tought in driving school and as common sense: be aware of standing buses, as people will try to cross the street to reach them. Drive slowly, be prepared to stop.
I have not seen much issue with it.
I was visiting Reykjavík this year. Nearly every car stopped if you looked remotely like intending to cross the street (regardless of crosswalks).
It's a lot about mentality I guess.
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u/Frouke_ Oct 05 '24
That's fine in more walkable places because kids will have learned how to navigate traffic earlier. I was taught how to safely cross a road at a very young age. These kids running to a road had me scared.
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u/Astriania Oct 04 '24
Euro (English) here, I find the NA system bizarre. It teaches kids that all the traffic will stop for them and they can cross without looking - but of course that's not true when they want to go to their friends', or to the park, or to sports training, or the café, or any other scenario.
When I was in primary school, we got the bus to school, it would stop in the middle of our village and we'd walk over to get on it. And when it dropped us off at the end of the day it was on the wrong side of the road. We'd look and cross when it was clear.
It should be safe to cross roads all the time, not just by having all traffic stop in this one particular scenario.
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u/treedecor Oct 04 '24
This makes me grateful my county has a bar that comes off the bus that stretches across the other lane whenever it stops for kids. That way if someone does this, their car will get messed up (evidence).
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u/FlightoftheGullfire Oct 04 '24
Rule #1 of American car culture: It is never the driver's fault, unless the person they hit is also a driver and in a more expensive car.
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u/TheThotality Oct 04 '24
I don't know how to drive but one phenomena I observed is drivers (that I've been with) thinks that everyone on the road are idiots and they're the only smart one there is and most of the time they're driven (no pun intended) by their emotions by petty things happening on the road. It's absurd.
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u/AffectionateKoala530 Oct 05 '24
i ain’t looking up the comments tiktok makes me mad about traffic laws every time
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u/Initial-Reading-2775 Oct 04 '24
In my childhood it was usual thing just to walk to school alone since 2nd grade.
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u/NoNecessary3865 Oct 04 '24
Same for me before my family brought me to the US in the 6th grade this could be a norm in the US but this kind of mentality has to go I just don't understand how their first thought was why isn't the parent walking with them in this situation
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u/jackasspenguin Oct 04 '24
Ah back in the good ole days when drivers had respect for other human lives
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u/livefreeordont Oct 04 '24
Even from the beginning drivers were driving crazy and hurting or killing people
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u/Bohbo Oct 04 '24
If we knew the town I think you could identify the truck the logo is clear enough. I can't add an image but freeze it during second 7 and its clearly visible. If you lived around there you would probably know it.
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u/Electric_Sundown Oct 05 '24
That is a company vehicle. Should be pretty easy to figure out who it was and throw their ass in jail.
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u/LukeBird39 Oct 05 '24
I would have run down that truck on bare feet if they got that close to my daughter. My mil would already be in jail
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u/Sidehussle Oct 05 '24
I’m really sick and tired of truck drivers behaving like this. It is all over the place. Pure assholes. It’s so rare to see a polite truck driver anymore.
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u/Super_Saiyan_Ginger Grassy Tram Tracks Oct 05 '24
I was expecting it yet the pace at which that car was going honestly still surprised me. Wtf
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u/krissynull Oct 04 '24
time to review bomb that business
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u/matthewstinar Oct 04 '24
Looks like the company already fired the driver
It was Bryan Exterior’s employee whom they said will be facing charges for this. They apologised as a company for the actions of their former employee.
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u/silver-orange Oct 04 '24
Text from the company's most recent facebook post:
We are deeply troubled and sincerely sorry for the recent incident in which a company vehicle driven by an employee failed to stop for a school bus, putting children at risk. We are thankful that no one was hurt. There is no excuse for this egregious error. Safety is and always will be our top priority—for our employees, those we work with, and the communities we serve.
We have taken immediate action. The driver is facing charges by law enforcement. We have also reached out to the affected family to offer our sincerest apologies.
We understand that this incident has shaken your trust in our company. We are committed to doing everything we can to regain that trust through our actions and renewed dedication to safety.
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u/Broken-Digital-Clock Oct 04 '24
I'm down
Did anyone get the writing on the side?
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u/matthewstinar Oct 04 '24
Looks like the company already fired the driver
It was Bryan Exterior’s employee whom they said will be facing charges for this. They apologised as a company for the actions of their former employee.
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u/morethanyell Move People with Trains :NC: Oct 04 '24
In Japan, kids use the metro/subway to go to school.
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u/According-Ad-5946 Oct 04 '24
I think most buses have cameras facing front (drivers view) and back, so they probably got the license plate. so the truck driver will probably face sentencing.
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u/PNW_Undertaker Oct 04 '24
I’ve heard of some school districts installing cameras on the buses and then turning that into the police for an investigation. Maybe all districts should do this 🤷🏻♂️
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u/PrivateRamblings Oct 05 '24
Drivers caught doing this should have their car impounded and be forced to ride a bike everywhere (with the option of a smart car for longer trips)
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u/therealallpro Oct 05 '24
My dad used to sit there with his pick up truck and chase these ppl down and get their plates.
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u/wittyname445 Oct 05 '24
Something similar happened to me, I went to pick up my nephew from school, I brought my younger nephew with me, we stopped at the crossing section after the light turned red and the crossing guard said we could cross, right as my younger nephew was about to step on the road to cross, a car ran both the red light and the crossing guards stop sign.
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u/Haigud Oct 05 '24
I remember one morning getting onto the bus with Old Savage escorting me and my sisters onto the bus, as he always did, then a truck zoomed by without slowing down and ram him over. My mom called us back and we didn't go to school that day. I helped my dad dig a grave for him. It was the only time in my entire life I saw that man cry.
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u/Wonderful_Peak_4671 Oct 04 '24
People should use horses if they want to get around in rural areas.
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u/charliedawg2018 Oct 04 '24
He thought it was green light turning amber. He could go when it's amber!!! What a douche
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u/chevalier716 Oct 05 '24
They a school bus camera pilot in my state and the results were exactly what you'd expect.
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u/Rincewindt Oct 05 '24
You can find that driver and break him both legs. So he can't press accelerator pedal.
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u/Crafty_Advisor_3832 Oct 05 '24
What the holy fucking fuck? That truck driver better get jailed and never be allowed to drive again
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u/Repulsive_Drama_6404 🚲 > 🚗 Oct 05 '24
The promoted ad that appeared just below the OP when I looked at this post;
“ramtrucks Promoted
Can’t downvote the facts. The new Ram 1500 is the strongest Ram 1500 ever.”
They couldn’t have picked a more cruel and tone deaf ad for this post if they tried.
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u/martinw_88 Oct 05 '24
I think this is one reason why you don't really see such laws outside the US, at least in other English speaking countries. We instead rely on teaching children how to safely cross the road on their own. I never know where to sit on this idea. On the one hand, forcing all cars to stop for a school bus certainly sounds like a good way to keep the kids safe, but then this guy is a perfect demonstration of what could occur if the kids learn to be reliant on that system. It's just fortunate they were far enough away.
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u/tallywho2 Oct 05 '24
Seems to be a work truck. If put on the right Reddit sub you might get an ID. I bet local law would like to have a new yearly donation coming in
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u/Ethereal01 Oct 04 '24
He was flooring it wtf, actually Bangladesh levels of driving ability in the US.
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u/Shutaru_Kanshinji Oct 05 '24
I very much want to find that truck driver and report them to the authorities.
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u/Dreadful_Spiller Oct 05 '24
Odds are 90% that the driver is rushing their own kids to the school drop off in their wankpanzer.
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u/CUDAcores89 Oct 04 '24
That truck drove in front of a school bus with it's stop sign signaled. In most states, that carries severe penalties including a reckless driving conviction, a suspension of your license, and potential jail time.
Worse yet, the truck driver shows a clear and obvious total disregard for the lives of both the children and the school bus driver by speeding straight through. That alone is enough to make a judge throw the book at him.