NC WORST DRIVING STATE?

 I wonder why this is?  Could it be due to;  

High numbers of briefly trained, young semi trucks drivers on interstates?

High numbers of recent immigrants told to get jobs quickly & learn to drive too soon? (Classic conservative policy FAILURE raises costs for ALL!)

Lack of public transportation options in most towns & cities? 

Excessive volume of over powered pickup trucks & SUVs & distracted operators? 

Too many scooters, e bikes and motorcycles used by low income motorists?

Confusing, poorly TIMED LEFT TURN arrows not coordinated with On- coming vehicle traffic!! 

Too many SLOW THINKING drivers failing to LOOK FAR ENOUGH AHEAD to anticipate obstructions & slow downs in their LANE!!   (dump truck, school bus, tractor, small car.... )

Unlicensed, (undocumented) drivers in overpowered pick-up trucks & SUVs with DUI during late nights or early mornings (poor sleep) on two lane roads??

Temporary jobs, unfamiliar travel requirements, sudden change chaos?

NORTH CAROLINA YELLOW ARROW SIGNALS DANGEROUS

NC TRAFFIC ENGINEERS ARE SO MORONIC THEY ACTIVATE YELLOW LEFT TURN ARROWS BEFORE ONCOMING TRAFFIC HAS HAS PASSED.  THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE DEADLY ACCIDENTS  IF A DRIVER IN LEFT TURN LANE IS DROWSY, DISTRACTED OR UNSURE OF TRAFFIC LAWS!  THIS HAZARD COULD EASILY BE AVOIDED BY INCLUDING A SENSOR TO TELL WHEN ONCOMING TRAFFIC IS AT A SAFE DISTANCE OR COMPLETELY CLEAR BEFORE activating  left turn arrow,  Why is it not included? Because NC is stingy and it's traffic engineers are imported morons.

ICY ROADS - INVENTION NEEDED ICE ANCHORS!

Isn't it rather obvious that relying on a motor vehicle's rubber tires alone to stop movement on ice is like expecting a watercraft to remain in the same place on a body of water?  A boat requires an anchor a toothed object which engages with stable earth and tethers the boat to hold it in place!

So likewise, motor vehicle's should have the option of a metal device with cleats which can be brought into firm contact with the pavement in cases of a total loss of braking or traction of all tires.  Device  could be connected to a hydraulic jack or let drop  with an emergency signal from driver.

Surely an "ice brake" could save millions in insurance claims as well as reducing durations of traffic jams in dangerous  weather conditions.

TIRE STUDS - IT'S TIME - FOR THEM TO RETURN to our roads !!!

EVERY WINTER we see videos and news reports showing the mayhem caused by ICE STORMS and all the motor vehicles, mainly cars sliding helplessly down ice covered pavements until they are "STOPPED" by crashing or bumping into another vehicle, a tree or guardrail.  Climate change is bringing MORE and MORE of these heavy winter storms to our cities and suburbs coast to coast.

 Municipal government's ONLY response is to drench the roads with rock salt and salty 'brine' slurry both of which cost lots of public money AND CAUSE PAVEMENT WEAR AND TEAR as well as damage to agriculture and roadside plants.   Why then is the government STILL BANNING tire makers from adding steel "studs" to SNOW tires ??  The studs enable motorist's tires to grip onto ice covered pavements and remain in control of their vehicles. That doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me when compared to playing mass 'bumper cars' whenever the sleet comes to town!

 The argument against TIRE STUDS was I believe, that they tore up asphalt and damaged pavements where the snow and ice was not present. But that was back in the 1970's when EXTREME weather happened once a decade or so and the pavement "damage" was more of a nuisance than the weather or the road salting at the time.

 Besides with all the technology changes since then I'm sure studded tires could be MARKED and regulated so they aren't used except at NECESSARY times and places.  Or maybe studded tires could be redesigned with some sort of "smart" tech so they worked only when 'needed' ??

 In any case it seems to me that the overall costs of pre-treating pavements and salting as well as the social costs of multiple collisions, economic disruptions and so on that NOW OCCUR with increasing severity and frequency each winter ARGUE FOR REINSTATING STUDDED TIRES for limited legal use !!    

The only OTHER "sensible" option would be to carry an old engine block in the back of a vehicle (Pickup truck) so when the tires begin spinning "push" it out the back to act like a boat ANCHOR !!

Or make small hydraulic "legs" with steel spike "feet" that can drop from the bottom of a vehicle to the street temporarily 'replacing' the vehicle's tires with LEGS  gripping the ice slicked pavement 'till it stops it from motion !! (preventing a collision entirely !!)

I wonder what the Insurance Institute would think about this ???