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Helsinki records zero traffic deaths for full year

(www.helsinkitimes.fi)
1163 points DaveZale | 2 comments | 30 Jul 25 16:08 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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SilverElfin ◴[30 Jul 25 16:55 UTC] No.44736599[source]▶
> More than half of Helsinki’s streets now have speed limits of 30 km/h. Fifty years ago, the majority were limited to 50 km/h.

So they hurt quality of life by making it more painful to get anywhere, taking time away from everyone’s lives. You can achieve no traffic deaths by slowing everyone to a crawl. That doesn’t make it useful or good. The goal should be fast travel times and easy driving while also still reducing injuries, which newer safety technologies in cars will achieve.

> Cooperation between city officials and police has increased, with more automated speed enforcement

Mass surveillance under the ever present and weak excuse of “safety”.

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voxl ◴[30 Jul 25 20:02 UTC] No.44738874[source]▶
Your argument is really "I'd rather people die then drive through your city slower."????
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dataflow ◴[02 Aug 25 19:58 UTC] No.44770868[source]▶
You could ban cars entirely. Why wouldn't you? Would you rather people die than drive cars at all?

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with the parent here; I'm just saying your rebuttal is a strawman.

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1. Muromec ◴[02 Aug 25 21:47 UTC] No.44771876[source]▶
>You could ban cars entirely. Why wouldn't you? Would you rather people die than drive cars at all?

We don't even ban drugs here and cars are more useful than drugs. It's all about harm reduction and diminishing returns. Also, autoluwe (but not autovrije) districts exist and are a selling point when buying/renting a house, so your attempt at a strawman is rather amusing.

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2. dataflow ◴[02 Aug 25 22:35 UTC] No.44772244[source]▶
Of course it's about harm reduction and diminishing returns. I have nothing against what Helsinki did. I was solely replying to that specific comment. Because it was an awful counterargument to an argument that I had explicitly noted I was not agreeing with in the first place.