Carmageddon

The astute Jon Brooks made me aware of this article about someone who went nuts and went on a driving rampage, running people down on the road.

As I read the account of the rampage, I couldn't help but be amazed that this actually hadn't happened before. Cars as weapons of mass destruction... it's hardly a new concept. Movies have used the concept to grisly effect in things like Deathrace 3000 and Highlander. Video games have explored it with Carmageddon. But this is the first time that I've heard of it actually happening. It underscores that the only thing that really allows us the illusion of safety and security is the thin veneer of social agreements that we make. We give people driver's licenses as long as they prove that they know the rules and are physically able to handle the vehicle. There's no testing for mental stability, nothing to help gauge if someone is actually fit to be operating a lethal missile in public areas.

Most of society exists on the principle that people will follow the rules. We assume that people are stable, and responsible, despite massive evidence to the contrary.

Now granted, how could we measure one's capacity for responsibility in a way that would be equitable? And by and large, haven't we found that people *do* follow the rules enough for things to function? I don't want totalitarianism, but I do want to look at the things that we take for granted in our society. Why do we have so few true restrictions on auto use, when the death toll from auto accidents/drunk driving/bum fuck crazy assholes is so much higher than thing else? Motor Vehicle Accidents are the leading cause of death in the U.S. We're in more danger from our own cars than from terrorists, but adding restrictions and regulations on airline travel at every opportunity.

And yet we're in love with our cars. They are weapons, they destroy the environment, they're massively expensive and for many people largely unnecessary. Why do we use them then? Status and convenience are the big factors. Public transportation is considered economically and socially "low". It takes longer, and public transit often is unavailable when you really want it. Service is reduced on weekends. MUNI in particular is terribly unreliable. It feels more expensive, because you pay as you go.

But how could we change this? There's got to be a way that doesn't involve whole sale environmental and economic collapse. Trains, buses, car shares, shuttles, bicycles... so many options, if we just take them.

Could I be finding a cause? Maybe. It's early to tell, but this is the first thing I've been evangelical about since I left the church a decade ago.