This is why I hate driving home.

People are idiots.  This is why I don't ever get on highways, no matter where I'm going. 

Accidents occur most often on local streets (at intersections, specifically). You're safer on the highway.

Actually, that's not true because accidents on the highway occur at much higher speeds and there are more big trucks on the highway. I just read that somewhere, but I don't have a link.

You should read this, if you're skeptical:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_traffic_safety

 

You are more likely, by far, to get into an accident on a local street than a highway. (see the first table.)

 

If you are unlucky enough to get into an accident on a highway, than you are more likely to die than someone getting into an accident on a local street.

(from article "the probability of death for drivers in multi-vehicle accidents increased as the fourth power of impact speed"). 

 

On a per-mile basis, the interstates are immensely safer than other streets and highways.  Not hard to find that statistic, I'll bet you!

 

In addition, car/truck fatality accident rates have been falling steadily for the last 15 years or so.  And, even according to the AAA, a pretty anti-truck group, 75% of all car/truck fatality accidents are caused by the car.

That is crazy.  I hate driving when any kind of visibility is reduced.  My Dad always said to just let people pass me; so that's what I've done.  It amazes me how some people fly by me.  I'd rather have it take a few minutes longer and NEVER experience this kind of situation.

That is why I hate driving, period! People are idiots. My job's location is on top of a mountain and the difference between the weather here and the weather there is incredible. It could be sunny and warm at home but half way up the mountain it's foggy, raining or snowing (depending on the time of year) and windy. Going up the interstate, the is a definite "wall" you hit where, if the weather is bad, the temp drops, the fog starts and everything starts to ice over. Do you think people slow down at that point? Nope.   At that point, I just follow the tail lights in front of me and hope they know where they are going, but it never fails that some idiot will fly by me doing 90 and I keep expecting to see an accident around the next turn.

 

I trust my driving, its everyone else I don't trust. There have been many times I've pulled over to wait out a downpour because A) I can't see and B) I know darn well the person that just passed me can't see either. 

We live south of I-80 in central PA. The trucks (and cars, to be fair) just barrel through the state on that interstate and it's nasty. During snow squalls, parts of I-80 to the immediate west of us will have white-out conditions. Does that slow the drivers down? No. They just drive. During the last white-out (back in January), there were at least 2 dozen vehicles in the west-bound lanes of I-80 in a mass pile-up. It started out with about ten cars, but then other cars didn't get stopped in time and smashed into the pile-up. Happens often around here. You would think that people would realize that they have to slow down when the weather is bad. And up there, it goes from clear to white-out in seconds. We drive I-80 to get to CT and into parts of NY sometimes. The truckers use it all the time because (for now, anyway) it's free.....there's no toll to drive it. We don't mind the interstates too much; we just try to be a little extra careful.

I always stay on the Interstate at night and when the weather is bad. Not necessarily because it's safer, but because if I do go into the ditch someone will see me right away and call for help. On the state highways it could be hours before anyone else comes along, and even then they might not see me because the ditches are steep and it's REALLY dark out there.

Usually the first time in a year it gets icy or blizzard-y, people "forget" how to drive in it and there are a lot of accidents. After that they "remember" and it's not too bad. I got no complaints, really. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and drive defensively.

There are an insane amount of horrible, stupid drivers out there.  As a trucker, I've seen it all.  But I think a lot of accidents like this could be avoided if the police enforced the rules of the road more. 

That's exactly how I feel about the section of I-95 where I live. I haven't driven on it for about 8 years. I drive a very small car too, and it feels like I'm driving a roller skate. I can't imagine being on a motorcycle.

 

I used to live just off I-75 in Michigan, and I agree that is was the worst highway I have ever seen in terms of drivers not knowing how to properly drive. I live in Chicago now, and the combined I-90/I-94 highway that runs directly through downtown is better than I-75 was (though, to go along with the rest of the conversation, cars are going much much slower than on an open highway like I-75)