Comments by "Helmuth Schultes" (@helmuthschultes9243) on "American Reacts to WHY the USA Hates Roundabouts" video.

  1. I view many dash cam and crash videos from many places around the world. In some places, Russia and China it is absolute necessity to have a dash cam just to protect your insurance and liability from both wayward drivers and scam attacks. Other places there is an unusual bias between bad driving habits and serious driving failures leading to serious crashes. Taking the Australian dash cam videos, predominantly bad driving and failure of keeping to laws stand out with a few crashes included. On the otherhand the US dash cam videos, at least what gets shown, is predominantly quite serious breaches of safe driving leading to serious smahes and while not mostly mentioned must include many fatal results. What stands out is so MANY accidents from drivers total disregard for other traffic, as if tucked into their huge steel box thevrest of the world around them does not exist, no other traffic is using the same roads. Vehicles mege and change lanes crashing into vehicles already in t he lane space being entered leading to many multi car crashes as cars are driven into barriers or spin out collecting other drivers who can not avoid being drawn into the crash or even into the crash situation because they were oblivious to the developing crash. Regular traffic turning across flowing traffic at intersections, totally oblivious to other traffic heading right into, and straight ahead through the intersection. Then also so many rear end crashes. Running red lights Orr just undertaking a U turn ignoring other traffic. Many larger vehicles seem also to create disaster by bully actions, big 4WD and pickup drivers seem to overlook other smaller traffic or demand lesser vehicles to clear the way for their big steel hulks. There seems a lot of "DO not care about anyone else. I have my rights ahead of you" attitude. Anyway maybe the US videos have few bad driving versus crash examples, maybe the bad driving only videos are left off by overly high number of available crash videos there is certainly as noted above as part of crashes plenty of very bad driving leading to the crashes. Russian videos have far more bad impatient driving leading fender bender accidents more than high speed serious smahes more one on one than multi car pileup. Not to underplay some real nasty truck smashes. Running red lights, turning into flowing traffic passing on wrong side and smashing into parked cars/buses/trucks seem more common than else where. In China insurance fraud, either crashing in ways to blame the other driver, or people jumping into the path of vehicles to claim injury payouts seem far too common. Purposely Running into traffic and jumping on the front of the car banging their head or body into the car. Then lying on the road in front feigning injury. When directed away by a policeman just walking away no evident harm. They do get plenty of fender bender due to traffic density but on the whole far better cooperation between drivers, less of the its my priority attitude . I really do not understand resistance to round about though local councils here in Australia do seem to go roundabout mad at times. For example we have near my home three roundabouts fitted to side residential street entry to a moderate traffic road of one lane each way. Never heavy traffic from side street entering and in past 50 years never a access problem to join the traffic flow. Maybe their idea is force traffic to slow every few hundred meters/yards. Certainly mid two such round about there is an additional chicane /twisted bitt needing to go under 30 KPH say 20 MPH but at a car park entry for executive cars only, of the local Greyhound racecourse, used two evenings a week for maybe twenty cars Closed by locked gate at all other times behind high fence. 24/7 all traffic has to slow and manouver through that chicane. Wonder which council people are on the race course commitee. Yet about 150 m along, the public car park with three driveways, used by possibly a couple hundred vehicles each work day less on weekends, all week for train commuter parking and also for Greyhound racing one night and training night with fewer cars one night. These driveways do not get such traffic control chicane to ease entry/exit to/from the car park. Three such minor roundabouts along is a traffic light intersection where a roundabout would lead to much improved traffic flow, especially after a railway crossing has been eliminated by raising the rail line on a high bridge above.. Then several hundred meters along is a bigger roundabout for a major road of two lanes each way.. It seems a certainty that roundabouts save many lives and minimise serious accidents too. There are numerous "black spot" high accident intersections that were changed from traffic lights with almost weekly fatalities to having no fatalities in months. Accidents still but largely material damage only. I had a close call on a country roundabout travelling in 80kph road meeting to a 100 kph road. Ibslowed to under 40 kph following several other cars also going straight ahead in the correct, for us left of two lanes so aligned for going straight ahead exit. The two cross lanes had several cars stationary so basically clear safe for my going ahead straight. BUT as I neared the stopped traffic a driver on furthest side in a Ford sedan pulled out to proceed into the roundabout. I was in my Toyota Landcruiser with about $15k of telescopes in the back, and suddenly found this sedan with me heading right at the drivers door. Quick reaction using the empty lane on my right, I ripped into turning with squeeling tyres and considerable Landcruiser body leaning to continue round the roundabout for a complete loop around, having managed to avoid a dangerous smash. Had my vehicle hit that car even only at 40kph that driver would have had probably fatal injuries. Stupid thing was he should have had clear view of my vehicle, and any way I was merely 4 to 5 car lengths behind a vehicle ahead. The emergency manoeuvre I believe would have been difficult for many drivers, I however as part of my car development and testing have had additional advanced driver training and some at that time 40 years driving these larger 4WD vehicles under various difficult conditions. Even had horrendous near accidents misjudging conditions. For example, driving on wide muddy dirt road at 55 to 60 MPH, yes MPH, in 1972 ended up doing a 720 degree, 2 full turns, spin sliding down the the road, triggered by road grooves in the mud. Heading into a large muddy puddle up to a couple feet deep slush. Managed to straighten out just before the muddy puddle. That in a 4WD, with packed roof rack, supplies, fuel, water and gem digging tools. Just very lucky, I only had my driver license for two years at the time.
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