Re: RE: 30 days in the hole [was: I ate a sandwich in a carinthe UK]

["Bruce Aukerman" <Bruce@mannlawfirm.com>]

>>> "Geoff Jenkins" <jenkinsg@pilot.msu.edu> 08/22/98 07:15PM >>>

>The UK driving test is much more thorough, and has to
be passed with a much higher standard of (a) skill (b) technical competency
and (c) awareness of other road users than _any_ of the US state tests I've
encountered.<

That is great.  We need much tougher testing here, which was one of the points
I tried to make ["teach people to drive"].

>US consistently gets either the worst or one of the worst traffic
accident (and death) rates out there. If it's not the cars, or the roads, or
the laws, what's left? The average drivers and their (for want of better
words) "skills" & "style".<

No question our roads are filled with people that cannot drive.  I won't give you the "if it's not
the cars" point entirely, though.  Rather, in many instances it is an unskilled driver in a 
car that is not crashworthy.  For example, US manuf. marketing a small pickup to
young drivers [inexperienced] even though internal docs show the company knew the truck
in question had the worst fatal rollover rate of any 4x2 trucks, and needed a wider track width.   
Truck in question rolled at 32 mph.  


>Why do you think that the "coaching" videos some attorneys give to drivers
(before depositions) specifically tell the clients _not_ to mention talking
on cellphones, putting on makeup etc?<

I haven't seen the videos.  I assume the videos are used to compensate for the quality
of lawyer the person hired:)  I have an auto zoom lens camera because I am a piss-poor
photographer.  Any lawyer that would fear your admission that you were on the phone
at the time of the wreck has bigger problems winning the case than your phone useage.
Chances are, he doesn't know it though:)