Thread by @mateosfo

This story observes that vehicular assault/homicide is legal in Texas, as long as the killer/assailant stays by their victim/kill, and admits to police that they undertook the attack.

Except, it's not just Texas. This is true in every state in the USA.

https://twitter.com/chron/status/1442894036382015494

Do a brief google search for "driver not charged," you'll find dozens of articles from across U.S. in just the past ~ 3 weeks.

Why are they usually not charged?

Because hunting/killing/maiming humans with your car is, generally speaking, legal in US. salon.com/2015/02/22/why…

There is no political will, at the local, state, or national level, to deal with this. City traffic engineers have a well-documented and macabre bloodlust -- they don't care how many people are killed on the streets they manage, as long as it's below their quotas.

And, oh, yes, they have quotas for dead and maimed people:

https://twitter.com/mateosfo/status/1413539374558498827

IMO, at some point, we'll have to go beyond tactical urbanism to self-defense. Left to their own devices, nothing will prevent city traffic engineers from allowing death quotas to grow -- incrementally, but forever.

"Deaths are up, but so are miles travelled, so, it's a wash."

It should be illegal to kill another human being with your car. It should not matter how many miles are travelled, and even less so in a nation that so heavily subsidizes car travel.

The US can never be considered a civilized country til we solve this.

@IDoTheThinking joins the growing chorus of folks who believe, like me, that the time for patient engagement with city officials is over. They're not going to save us.
darrellowens.substack.com/p/when-it-come…