To all of the North Americans in denial about how often this happens, or in denial about the seriousness of it, please check out the Storefront Safety (www.storefrontsafety.org/ ) and Storefront Crashes (www.storefrontcrashes.com/ ) websites, as well as the related Twitter road safety hashtag #60timesperday (twitter.com/hashtag/60timesperday ). They estimate that cars crash into a buildings in the US *60 times per day.*
That's the problem. Americans are in denial about anything that's wrong in their country. I don't know how bad it is in Canada but in the US it's pretty bad.
@@evanwilliams6029 you might want to research the stats taken from the CBS. You are choosing statistics from a commercial enterprise. The statistics from the Netherlands, compiled by the government, are freely available. Interestingly those statistics also available on other countries of the EU.
A double-decker bus crashed into a house. in Blighty. I am almost sure that the road was 20mph at the time and the bus was most likely going slower then that.
@@evanwilliams6029 As for the increase in cyclist deaths, as that is what you linked to, this is due to an increase of bike users, especially elderly on ebikes.
Evan Williams The increase of bicycle deaths is a result of an increase of cycling elderly people (as some of them aren’t allowed to drive a car due to their psychical condition, want some excercise and/or don’t want to drive if the journey is just 15min) and people using electric bikes (which are faster). These two groups of cyclists are often not wearing helmets (which is legal and isn’t generally frowned upon). The combination of elderly people on electric bikes without helmets are the main reason for this increase, since falling at any speed is more likely for them to result in fatal injuries. I could link some articles but they’re all in Dutch
the same province where it is common to see people flying down rural farming roads at 120 when the posted limit is 40, and they catch air on the bumps and potholes. I've seen it
UK here and - like the US & Canada - we're _unfortunately_ also much more car-orientated than NL. But...having said that, I've never seen a car crash into a building - or the aftermath of such a crash. I have heard of it happening in Ipswich [where I live] once, but that's it.
I'm germany, too, and this is not really uncommon in germany. There are two reasons for it in germany: 1. Old people (happens quite a lot...) 2. Speeding. In rural areas, you can find quite a lot of damaged houses because of that. The ALDI supermarked near by needed special barriers to protect their main window at the entrance, as the old people crashed into it at least ones a month. Indeed, the design of the parking space is very bad, plus most oldest people drive the biggest cars here, which doesn't make the situation any better. Wasn't even good enough for the news... ;)
@@user-dy9ux5dc6e Most parts have a speed limit of 80 -120 kph. That "no limit" is the default, but overridden everywhere and more theoretical then practical.
@@christopherg2347 I stand corrected :).. I thought it was only restricted in the more populated areas but I never had a license when I visited either. You guys are driving Audi's and Volkswagens tho - don't you get the itch for speed?
"I've lived in the Netherlands for a year and a half and I realized that I haven't seen a car crash into a building yet." How is this a thing? I've live in Portugal for 31 years and I have never seen a car crash into a building
I love the Dutch. So pragmatic and grounded, so economical efficient and mercantile-minded. The first time I navigated the streets in Amsterdam I thought "WTF how can anyone understand all this signaling??" But once I actually experienced it, the pavement markings, the signage and the signals all revealed themselves to be remarkably simple and intuitive. The coolest thing is you don't have to pay attention to them all just the ones that refer to your mode of transport - car, bike or foot. When everyone does their part it's a delightful dance.
The dance part is the secret. Made possible by the fact most adults do have a drivers license even when not driving, all know how to walk (arguably depending on alcohol levels) and everyone was born and raised as a cyclist...
Honestly, I might actually have a slim chance at driving if I move to the Netherlands. Those markings sound attention-grabbing enough to keep me focused on the road, but not distracting enough to pull my attention away from the road. ADHD is the main thing keeping me from driving because medication isn't enough to rein in my whackadoodle brain. Where I live, I simply couldn't trust myself with a half-ton death machine.
it's actually old people being scared of driving fine and get sweaty palms if they do so That's why my mother can't go a few miles without shouting STOP GOING 40MPH ON 60 MPH ROADS Pot holes are ignored as a early 2000s audi can take half a decade worth of pot holes around 50mph
@@burtleboeuf1429 Well here in Pennsylvania in the US, we have roads that are sinking into rivers, and they just paint over the cracks with tar to cover it up.
In America, the lowest tier of nobility is the Car Driving Class. Hits bike, sending it careening off into a ditch, its rider narrowly avoiding death. Motorist that hit the bike: "Peasant!"
It's the opposite in the UK. Pedestrians have right of way on all corners and all roads once their a few steps from the pavement. If a car hits someone, it's the driver fault, their the one with the deadly weapon after all.
@@vickymc9695 Well that's reassuring to know. Times sure have changed since they sentenced anyone pick-pocketing to the gallows :-p In Holland, it doesn't matter if you're not at fault, if you're driving a car and you hit and injure or kill somebody, you're the one who's going to have to pay. At least, your insurance will have to cough up the money.
@@rars0n Great job paying attention to the comment...the guy is clearly making a separate reference to what an American would say their first time in Europe.
@@FarfettilLejl where does it always rain? In the last years, my family and me we came for a biking vacation to Belgium and Netherlands and we had only maybe one day of rain. We were in Roermond, Maastricht, Brugge and Oostende (the most unsightly city I have ever seen)
@@FarfettilLejl that is not what I wrote. I asked when it does rain in NLD because I experienced only about 5 h rain there. I never wanted to imply that NLD or BEL are dry.
Big truck = Big asshole here in America. Something very similar to me happened a couple weeks ago. I was making my turn through a 4 way stop when a oncoming truck ran the stop sign. He stopped short of me but caused me to lose control of my bike and crash (it had just rained so the roads were slippery). He then sped off while I was laid out on the ground. I broke my wrist :(
isn't that illegal? I'm sure it is here in Australia. I saw a video once, a dash carm, in America, A car entered a freeway at freeway speeds the car in the slow lane got spooked and swerved the car beside him had to swerve to avoid but swerved into the car in the fast lane causing all three to crash, the car that entered never saw any of this as it all happened behind him. but according to the video he was later charged for causing the accident (even though the first car never need to swerve) And those 4 car were the only cars visible in the video
@@SilverMe2004 if you can find them, yeah they still caused the accident. problem is if they drive away your chances are slim. looks like the dashcam person might have followed them and got something though. and if you dont have a dashcam? well too bad. this is why i will not swerve out of the way, a bunch of people i know have had to pay out of their own pocket/insurance.
I had an accident in a corner where it was difficult to see all the traffic coming. And now there is a speed bump in that corner so I kind of see it as "my" speed bump 😂
It's not normal elsewhere lol. Here, eople be building houses by interprovince road and other times, it's interprovince road that has the width of residential streets. 😂
@@rideroundandstuff not quite true, living in Switzerland I am envious about the bike lanes in the Netherlands. It is slowly changing now, the reason could be, that everyone gets e-bikes now (our terrain is not as flat…), so more bikes are on the street.
@classictvguy1 Except if that English-speaking country is England. Which is only a few hundred miles away by sea. I've seen more narrow roads in England than in the Netherlands.
Yeah I found this out myself in America as a Dutch person. I got a ticket for going 104mph in a 55mph zone but honestly the road I was driving on invited for more speed then the German autobahn
Endless and perfectly straight, with no one around. (except the police officer I didn’t see until he was behind me and told me he spent 30 minutes catching up).
Yes in the Netherlands, you can tell how fast to drive based on the road type, there are only 5 road types. Speed limit signs aren't needed then, and are also not that common. Really confused me when I first started driving here.
@@8lec_R Then I'd say it's the matter of the car. I have an old and imperfect, hmm, midsize let's say, and it feels perfectly fine at 120 km/h (the limit on Polish express roads). And even when I once drove... *noticeably more* than that, the car was still perfectly fine (except noisy and probably drinking fuel like there's no tomorrow). So, in a car built for long distance travel, on a fitting road, 104 MPH could not feel really special. Mind you, it doesn't even have to be a new or expensive car.
Have you ever seen a car crashed into a building, or am I the only lucky one that's seen it multiple times? As I was making this video, a car crashed into a house in the Netherlands, but the driver was a murder suspect and was being chased by police: www.destentor.nl/hardenberg/bizarre-crash-tijdens-achtervolging-auto-knalt-woonkamer-binnen-in-bergentheim~a6d3ac9d/ Including that one, I was only able to find three articles about cars crashing into buildings in the Netherlands. I'm sure there are more, but it's certainly not common. It was pretty easy to find the articles for Canada. ;)
I've never seen it, and the only times here in the netherlands I heard about it, was when it was big on the news. I'm thus not surprised you haven't been able to find a lot of articles about cars crashing into buildings in the Netherlands. I'm actually surprised that it happens so often in the USA and Canada: I never thought about it as something that could happen often.
In my hometown I know a old person (like 90 years old) with heart problems crashed into a brick garden wall. The wall was completely destroyed, but luckily it was there otherwise the car would've probably crashed into the building
I've personally noticed that driving with stick shift makes you less prone to driving way to fast. When you are driving with a stick shift you can hear your car working too hard when you drive too fast in a lower gear. I've driven an automatic car once and I noticed that I would start driving too fast since the car shifts gears automatically for me and I don't get to hear the motor of the car working harder than it should. altough I don't want to soften the blame on the main benifactor of this problem, this might be also one of the many factors that influences this problem.
Great video! Coming from Germany and living in Amsterdam you can clearly see that there are no big car lobby groups as there is not such a huge car industry like in Germany or the US. That makes it easier to restrict "car rights". Also, I think that stick shifting is a reason for fewer accidents like this. You can't just step on the accelerator and the car will go through a house.
The more I see and hear about North America, the more I realize I never want to set foot there. Growing up, USA was this magical place we all wished to live out our wildest dreams in. As I get older I keep finding reasons for never going there, and finding things I take for granted here in Europe that I should be really glad we have.
Me in Canada: Ah I don't recall cars crashing into buildings that often. me: *Google searches car crashes into building near me*. news: two days ago a car crashed into an apartment with speed potentially to blame. me: Okay, nevermind.
An old lady recently here in Victoria managed to drive in to uptown thru a concrete wall in a subaru outback and thru the metal wall of the freezer of a walmart managing to finally come to a rest in one of those fast food places inside walmart. It trapped a bunch of workers in for a few hours
I googled car crash into building for Montreal. On the first page, so first then result. 3 of them are about the same car crashing into a building in Quebec city, one is about Lac-Mégantic rail disaster one is a car crash in Ajax and the last one is an article with the following as title: "Canadians keep crashing cars into buildings". Second page is mostly about car crashing into building but mostly in Ontario. I always been told by people living in Ontario that Quebec driver's are the worst & craziest but google car crash & Montreal and you get more result from car crash in Toronto & Ontario in general. Something doesn't add up.
@@yousefnoori Still, when you google "Montreal car crash" you expect more result from Montreal than any other city. Also Ontario is 3/2 the population Quebec, so I don't expect to see that much more result from Ontario.
Having grown up in a very typical mid-sized North American city, this hits close to home. I just don't understand how we can accept the status quo of building more and wider roads that often result in such destruction and loss of lives...We need to wake up and realize the benefits of smart urbanism, like the Dutch.
That’s gonna cost a lot of tax money, and I found out most Americans believe they are more allergic to paying a viable amount of tax then to car crashes or other deadly things that can be solved with a healthy forward looking mind and some tax money...
@@bartvschuylenburg Except that the infra is actually vastly cheaper. American car infra is extraordinarily expensive. I live in Dallas, where just one freeway intersection cost more money than implementing bike infra for the whole Dallas metro area. Americans spend huge sums of public and private money on cars. Dutch infra is vastly cheaper.
Because persons in the white house are focused on all the wrong things. And as a nation unfornatily most just follow blind this, wrong curve and exclude logica over money. The fun part if they would think more in logica, they would make more money and more important they would realise money isn’t everything. Easy to have but not major as it is sold right now. In a time where miljonairs lose money and billionaires gain money… what’s wrong in that picture? Common sense people! Have a good one :)
I work in a smallish college town at a glass business. We replace storefront because of car damage several times a year. We aren't the only glass business in town either.
@@NotJustBikes I also have the theory that they brake way fewer times and for this reason if something unexpected happens they are not going to brake or worse, they step on the gas pedal. In the videos you showed no one braked like they should.
@@simonh6371 yeah, I always aim for a low rpm on the engine in order to save fuel. It's pretty hard to accelerate above the speed limit when you're doing 45 km/h in 4yh gear.
@@simonh6371 The dutch do many things well in road safety, but sticking to manual shift is not one of them. No matter how good of a driver you are, you always spend a part of your concentration on the shifting process, or on when to do it. We changed to an automatic gear box a couple of years ago and I immediately became a better driver. Manual shift cars should be phased out, in my opinion. The roads will become safer.
During my 41 years of living in Germany, I have never seen a car crash into a building, but I have a different view regarding the reasons (also including other types of road accidents). I can't deny that the differences in street design may be a factor, but I wouldn't be so sure that people confusing gas and brakes or people playing on their mobile phone aren't relevant issues, too. 1. In Western Europe about 75% of the cars have manual transmission 2. In the USA you see people using their phone while driving ALL the time. This has become very rare in Western Europe. The risk awareness is different in this regard. I personally NEVER use my phone in the car. When I receive a call, I ignore it and call back later. Messaging: 100% taboo. 3. Many Americans have no driving skills at all... shifting lanes where there's no space between cars, lazy turn signal usage, ignoring STOP signs, infrequent shoulder checking etc. It's not their fault: getting a drivers license is far too easy in the USA (Germany: ~2000$ and lots of training in theory and praxis, you don't get the license unless you're really dedicated, many people fail the test at their first attempt), i.e. in the USA people aren't properly trained from the beginning. When you already start with bad habits, it's hard to shake them off later. 4. roundabouts replace many conventional intersections (world leader: France): speeding into a roundabout is much less tempting than with a conventional intersection 5. there are safety-relevant differences regarding the traffic rules - in most european countries overtaking on the right is generally forbidden, i.e. the faster lanes are always on the left and you don't have vehicles approaching at higher speeds on both sides - red light means red light, i.e. there is no general exception for right turns and hence not the confusion with some intersections having the "no turn on red" sign, while others don't - "right before left" as a clear rule for intersections without traffic lights If the arguments aren't convincing, maybe the numbers are: - road traffic fatalities per 100.000 inhabitants per year: Norway 2, Sweden 2.2, Germany 3.7, Netherlands 3.8, USA *12.4* - road traffic fatalities per 1 billion vehicle km: Norway 3.0, Sweden 3.8, Germany 4.2, Netherlands 4.7, USA *7.3* It's worth mentioning that Germany has these lower fatality numbers inspite of having no general speed limit on the Autobahn and inspite of having many more "small" cars instead of huge pick-ups that are built like a tank and offer more passive protection, so don't even get me started on non-lethal accidents and fender benders in the USA vs. Western Europe... Obviously, a lot could be done to improve road safety in the USA...
I almost crashed into a VW Tiguan on Autobahn in 2017 because the idiot was driving at 150 km/h while holding a phone and slide leftwards without noticing.
@@iAreEddie You don't get it. Fatal accidents are only the "tip-of-the-iceberg" worst-case scenarios (but still the leading cause of death of Americans below age 30). Non-fatal injuries and damage-only accidents are the problem where the USA look _really_ bad, compared to all other high-income countries, not to mention that they cost about 2% of the gross domestic product. The only problem with non-fatal accidents is that it's hard to quote official numbers because they differ between insurance companies and there is no total statistic (e.g. NTSB) that officially sums it up, at least none that I know of. I can only give a rough number: about 0.7% of the car crashes include fatalities. Maybe now you get the idea how big the non-fatal car crash problem in the USA is. Let's take a single city like Miami FL: they report about 65.000 car crashes each year, about half of those with injuries. So you think that's insignificant enough to call it "bs"? @H C : no country can claim it's idiot-free, but single anecdotes don't make a statistic. Speaking of anecdotes: in my ~24 years of having a drivers license, the only time somebody ever bumped into my car happend in the USA: I was waiting at a red traffic light and the other guy approaching from behind thought his mobile phone was more important than decelerating in order to avoid my rear bumper (and even though this was clearly his fault, that individual turned aggressive on me and even threatend to hit me only because I calmly asked for his name and insurance data, then he refused to wait for the police and drove away - "nice" guy...).
This becoming a more common topic here in the states, and I liked the way you presented the information as it was clear, concise, and conclusive. The sass was just bonus! lol Great job!
Basically make the environment so that way the people will have to unconsciously consciously think about looking outside and paying more attention... Like training them without them realising...
Bingo, the safest streets are the streets that are completely shared and where there is no seperation between bikes, pedestrians and cars. They litterally are zero accident zones. It makes drivers insecure and automaticly makes them pay attention what is happening around them and drive slowly. Same goes for bikes and pedestrians look behind them as well. It is perfect for retail areas, schools etc. Cause it slows cars to a crawl basicly.
I don't think the VOA (the police department that investigates car crashes) looks to the road design for each individual incident. But rather if a trend starts to occur, and several incidents happen, they will notice it and people start thinking about how the road design can be changed.
Trends are definately analysed, as you can see on this map: www.bliq.report/ (Dutch and English version available, see top right switch) Zoom in to see the traffic streets at lower levels. The study behind the map was made on demand of a cooperation of the police & insurance companies. Some more info can be read here: www.limburger.nl/cnt/dmf20190601_00108202/maaslandlaan-weert-onveiligste-weg-in-limburg
The problem with cars is that they're often operated by people who are way underqualified to be in control of something so fast and heavy. Aren't cars actually just a bad idea in many, many different ways?
I did not understand what a joke a driver's licence is in the USA (at least AZ) until a friend of mine got a licence in Tuscon when he was doing a PhD there at the time. He just needed something to show when buying alcohol, not for actual driving, as he had a proper Dutch driving licence.
@@rogerwilco2 I've heard that driving lessons in the USA are mainly theoretical lessons and that i.e. of 25 lessons you take only 5 are practical driving lessons wich baffles me. I get that driving without stick shift is easier, but since you aren't changing gears yourself you notice way later that you are driving faster than you think you are.
I was once told that in some parts of the States, high school kids are taken out to a parking lot in groups one afternoon and made to drive back and forth a bit, then in circles around some pylons. If they succeed, they're approved then and there and receive their licence as soon as possible. I hope that's just an anecdote from some rural dweller in the 70s or something, and not actual policy....
@@GrijzePilion It's not that far off. When I got my license, I simply drove around the block. Didn't even have to It was so stupid. Of course this area is full of garbage drivers
The car is also a necessity and a convenience. The glass is, according to me, half full. According to you, half empty. That is a difference in how we view the world.
The only times I hear about this here in Germany it is always elderly people with automatic transmission who confused the break and the gas pedals. ALWAYS automatic, never stick shift.
I once sat through a one hour video of a Seattle city planner who had studied the Dutch roads and was presenting them to the street safety committee in his city. I was baffled by the fact that things that were so normal for me that I didn't give them a second thought anymore, seemed like rocket science to his audience. I was quite happy to see that people want change in their cities and are opting for less cars on the roads, or at least less dangerous situations. See the video here, be warned that it is an hour long, but really worth the time; th-cam.com/video/l0GA901oGe4/w-d-xo.html I was also glad to read that some NYC and Boston streets might be permanently closed down for cars because during this C-virus situation people found out that there isn't enough space on the sidewalk to walk or bike around safely.
I found that video a while back as well. It really opened my eyes about just how much thought has gone into infrastructure over here and how good we have it as cyclists in the Netherlands. Our tax euros (or guldens in the 80s) at work.
@@NotJustBikes they defenetly can, the dutch have almost the best roads in the world Dat kunnen ze zeker, de Nederlanders hebben zowat de beste wegen ter wereld
@@cearnicus What people still don't understand is the ROI of that money put in. That is calculated as for every €1 invested you get 3.5 back. That means all of a sudden you can do fancy stuff like building a three story bicycle parking for 17,500 bicycles...
I love watching your video's! As a born and raised Dutchman, I take a lot of these things for granted. Even though I have been to the US and Canada on many occasions - I surely know the difference. But your thoughts on it make it very clear to me that I should love my country even more! haha
The entire premise of this video is bizarre. In my whole life i can count on one hand the number of times i've heard of a car crashing into a building. The more you learn about north america the more I want to stay away from it!
3:55 YES! About a month ago, there was a bridge that was being repaired, but they had to close down trafic because some structure has been damaged due to the repair. In the news article, they said that the company wasn't looking for anyone to blame, but they were trying to find a solution ASAP and figure out how to avoid this in the future. In the comments, many people were furious: the company should fire the person who made that mistake. Yeah...
As someone who lives in a relatively rural area of the US, I had no idea so many drivers had a vendetta against storefronts in this part of the world. Another entry on my long list of why I'll never move to a city or a big town
I haven’t heard about this was a thing. I live in Norway and read about it in the media from time to time, but it is rare. Great video by the way. Norway also have similar as Sweden and Netherlands: When ever there are a serious accident, at least with deceased people, there is an investigation from the road authorities. This have on of the reasons we have a low rate of people killed in traffic. Even if one person is one too many.
Mhm or if it has anything to do with crime in general since most recent i heard a car hitting a building was i think a stolen one crashing into a abandoned one after an incident at a junction..... And that building has been collapsing more and more ever since.
Everything is so far apart because Canada and the US are so large. In Europe several countries combined are smaller than one Canadian province. Try understanding Geography,
@@pudmina and china and japan are quite massive countries. Yet for the most part, you don't need to travel a couple of miles just to get to your location. If you do however you'll take the train. Simple innit
Love what is being done in the Netherlands with the lane narrowing and impediments. The Dutch urban landscape is very appealing. The opening of this video sure had a crazy amount of trolley wire overhead,and I also like where the street cars run in the grassy median.
An old lady crashed through a brick wall at the CVS next door to my work in Houston, Texas. Here it’s always a pharmacy and it is always old people. In Houston we have so much space that shops aren’t often right off the road. also all buildings are required by city ordinance to have a certain number of parking spots, so there is usually a buffer zone around buildings.
The huge difference in the cultural approach to this is even reflected in speech: While in the UK they call it "RTC" (road traffic collision) - and in multiple documentaries I have heard this one sentence about that: "We don't call it an accident, because RTC are rarely a true accident. Usually they are the result of one or more people doing the wrong thing." - in dutch they call it "Verkeersongeval" or sometimes even "Verkeersongeluk", which translates to "traffic accident" or even "traffic mishap" respectively. And stats are being kept regardless of who is at fault and who got injured. The dutch regularly identify so-called "black spots" on their road network, where accidents happen significantly more often than on an average stretch of road. Once a "black spot" is identified, it's the duty of the city/town to propose preventative meassures.
As far I can see from looking at the data the UK has fewer deaths on the roads than the Netherlands. Going by either deaths per distance travelled, or by capita. I'm not sure why this video lumps the UK in with the US and Canada. The roads in the UK share nothing in common with them.
There’s a house one one of the main roads coming into my small town that got absolutely PULVERIZED by some large vehicle or another (I only saw the aftermath, but it must’ve been a tractor trailer based on the damage). Eventually they rebuilt the front of the house. There was NO infrastructure change to prevent that from happening again. No barrier, no signage, no nothing. It always struck me as being extremely irresponsible that they just rebuilt things without improvements/precautions, and I imagine I would never be able to relax if I ever lived in that house (and I for damn sure wouldn’t keep my bed or any of my valuables anywhere near the front of the house)
People in the US drive like absolute insane maniacs. Everyone is so angry, and they take it out on other drivers. It is also insane to me that in the US, once you take the driver's test, you never have to take it again. Once when you're 17 is enough. How in the flying f______ck is that not considered completely preposterous? You should have to take the test again every 4 years when you renew your license, to prove you deserve it. You have to renew every single other certification, from a forklift to CPR, but not the most deadly thing we do every day? UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
Also in The Netherlands, non-motorised road users like bikes and pedestrians are protected: the motorised vehicle is almost always liable for any damage, also if an accident is not the fault of the one using the motorised vehicle.
So the whole mind-set in the Netherlands is different from the mind-set in US and Canada. In short; the road, traffic signs, roundabout, zebra-crossings, every traffic sign tells us what we can or cannot do. Anglo-american mind-set is different as in; the road is there in front of you, sitting behind the wheel of your own car, you take care of your responsability, while I take care of mine. But the mind-set should be; WE have got a SHARED responsability. So if the road design can make you drive safer, and can give you the opportunity to communicate with other drivers or traffic participants, than traffic can be much safer. I do hope that some smart people are able to implement change in how to rebuild the traffic-infrastructure to benefit the safety of every individual and let city-planners come up with good ideas to safe life, and buildings in citties all across the US and Canada. Furthermore improvement in educating drivers better and let them take 20 lessons with a propper exam, to get their drivers-licence, before giving them the freedom to take part in traffic!!
exactly! the issue si very much that individualism and that disconnect people have as soon as they get in their cars that they're not people anymore, it is SHARED responsibility
Automatic transmission is the major fault. I never saw news articles about these sort of accidents when I lived in the Thames Valley west of London where people mostly drive manual transmission cars to work or stations. I moved to Devon which has a high number of over 70's driving small automatic cars and there are many more cases of cars crashing into walls and buildings
I just clicked because I was so confused if cars not often crashing in buildings is really uncommon in other countries so that someone really made a video on that topic and why the hell it is usual in other countries for cars to crash into buildings?! Oo Greetings from Germany :D
As an American, I want you to know that your audience has expanded beyond just Dutch people staring in awe at the disastrous planning of other countries.
If you are a little bit familiar with German, research Waitzstraße (Waitz Street) in Hamburg, Germany. It's a street in a more wealthy neighborhood where cars are crashing into shops on a pretty regular basis since 10-15 years. Preferably older folks in their fancy Mercedes see themselves arriving in a fancy fashion store including their cars. It's almost becoming a meme and authorities were still not able to fix this issue.
Another factor is driver training. In most countries in Europe driver training, both theoretical and practical is mandatory and has to be provided by a certified driving instructor. This includes driving in adverse conditions and emergency maneuvres. In North America very little if any training is mandatory, so bad driving habbits get passed down from generation to generation.
This made me realise that, although I know these crashes happen, I cannot recall an example of it ever happening in my own country Those clips you see of cars smashing into gyms from the inside make a lot more sense now
I really think that much like the idea that if you rear end someone you're presumed at fault, if you knock anyone down whether pedestrian or bike you should be presumed negligent and asked to prove otherwise. Seems the US is exact opposite. Anyway it's more about the design of streets than the individual so bravo for another sterling njb video.
😂😂😂😂 I live in the countryside of Brazil, in a town that was built over 7 hills. Strait wide roads are also downwards! Many corners in the city center has some kind of protection for the buildings. I knew a family that had a car crshing into their family room while they were all there watching tv.
01:37 "Former drug dealer and general scumbag elected as premier of Ontario." I laughed so hard I spit my coffee all over my desk. Technically you owe me a new monitor but I forgive you.
I've never seen a car crash into a building here in the UK but I'm sure it happens and totally see the personal responsibility angle all the time. My favourite line when cycling is 'they weren't even wearing a helmet' as if that warrants them being hurt.
American here. So you mean to tell me that when terrible things happen, the Dutch actually *look into why they happened* and *actually take steps to stop them from happening again??!* And furthermore, you mean to insinuate that *less terrible things happen in the Netherlands??!!* And just to stretch my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point, you aim to *suggest,* nay, ASSERT, that these two things are in some way connected?!?!? Next you're going to be telling me that you don't have daily mass shootings and extrajudicial killings of unarmed minorities! Unbelievable.
In the Netherlands they investigate crashes and change road design to be more safe. While in the US, where i live, i have seen over 25 accidents on my block at an unmarked blind intersection, with 2 fatalities, one person got out of the car missing an arm, and a handful of near fatality accidents, and we cant even get anything done about it, we cant even get someone to put up a yield sign at the intersection.
I'm French and I only heard once about a car crashing into a building because the road collapsed. I'm astonished to learn that it can happen multiple times a year in Canada
As an American who has lived in rural areas my whole life, your channel is very interesting not only for information on Europe but also urban United States.
We also do this in Denmark. if people drive to fast. we put in bumps. if people crash often at the specific light crossing we put in a round a bound. also the separation of bike away from the road has been a huge thing here. where bikes get their own lane away from the road. it's nice.
It reminds me of Whintrop MA, a coastal community and an incorporated town, just outside Boston city limits by the North. It is a peninsula with a single road passage linking towards East Boston. A hamlet no less. Very quaint. Lots of Boston based air pilots choose to live there. A fact all Whintrop residents know, and outsiders are all oblivious to , is that throughout their town the speed limit is 30 mph or roughly 45km/h. One day I sat at the courtroom on my way to dispute my moving violation , which had nothing to do with speed limit. Case after case, everyone there besides me had broken, unbeknownst , the town speed limit, and the local cop had made quite a living in writing up traffic citations wig fines. I mean, people driving 40mph/60 I'm/hr were getting speeding tickets.
Where I used to live in Cali, *Seeing car crashes in the block every week due to passing red lights and driving through tight, complicated roads Where I live now in Texas *Everybody driving crazy fast but actually aware and not a single crash in months
Exactly. It's driver training not how wide or narrow the road is. If idiots can't drive it won't matter if you put them in a parking lot with nothing around, they'll find a way to crash.
In The Netherlands most cars crash into buildings on purpose: criminals who try (try to) steal money from ATM's or a specific shop in buildings. Which indeed now leads to questions as to if ATM's should be in buildings, to prevent (purpose) crashes into buildings... We even had an insure company use it as topic in a commercial: th-cam.com/video/4Qwvst2ml4w/w-d-xo.html
In Raleigh, NC, there’s a house that has been hit by vehicles at least six times. This house was located at the intersection between a 45 MPH stroad and a residential street. Finally, after the sixth crash, the city decided to close-off the residential street from the 45 MPH stroad and install a guardrail. The house is no longer being hit, but everyone who lives on that residential street must now drive farther to get to the main road.
I don't live in a particularly small city in the US and I've never seen a car crash involving a building myself, nor have I seen any on the news in recent memory
I never noticed that this happened often. I mean car crash between two vehicles happens like once every year but I've never actually seen a car crash into a building or any kind, at least where I live in the US. I mean, it's not like we have a small population. When I was little my town had about 6,000 or so people, now we have about 60,000 people so about x10 the amount but I've never heard of it happening before.
@@Lucas-up6ww Yes, and important civic buildings will often have a carefully designed crash barrier. It's usually disguised as some sort of landscaping, but you can spot them once you start looking. For example, if you look at the Toronto transit control centre on the southwest corner of Bathurst and Davenport you can see the crash wall (disguised as a brick wall) which protects the building against cars travelling quickly downhill along Bathurst Street.
@@martijn9568 I think it's a good solution to a bad problem. Ideally the City should design the roads such that traffic does not move at high speeds where people live and work, but until then it makes sense to have cars crash into crash walls instead of structural walls.
To all of the North Americans in denial about how often this happens, or in denial about the seriousness of it, please check out the Storefront Safety (www.storefrontsafety.org/ ) and Storefront Crashes (www.storefrontcrashes.com/ ) websites, as well as the related Twitter road safety hashtag #60timesperday (twitter.com/hashtag/60timesperday ).
They estimate that cars crash into a buildings in the US *60 times per day.*
That's the problem. Americans are in denial about anything that's wrong in their country. I don't know how bad it is in Canada but in the US it's pretty bad.
@@evanwilliams6029 you might want to research the stats taken from the CBS. You are choosing statistics from a commercial enterprise. The statistics from the Netherlands, compiled by the government, are freely available. Interestingly those statistics also available on other countries of the EU.
A double-decker bus crashed into a house. in Blighty. I am almost sure that the road was 20mph at the time and the bus was most likely going slower then that.
@@evanwilliams6029
As for the increase in cyclist deaths, as that is what you linked to, this is due to an increase of bike users, especially elderly on ebikes.
Evan Williams The increase of bicycle deaths is a result of an increase of cycling elderly people (as some of them aren’t allowed to drive a car due to their psychical condition, want some excercise and/or don’t want to drive if the journey is just 15min) and people using electric bikes (which are faster). These two groups of cyclists are often not wearing helmets (which is legal and isn’t generally frowned upon). The combination of elderly people on electric bikes without helmets are the main reason for this increase, since falling at any speed is more likely for them to result in fatal injuries. I could link some articles but they’re all in Dutch
As a Dutch person, this channel is basically "And here's _another_ thing you take for granted..."
Reasons I don't want to emigrate: the youtube channel.
Only time it's really in the news is when someone drives into an ATM deliberately.
We're all Dutch here aren't we xD
@@silvercomic That's more in Germany nowadays
Exactly!
In Quebec we just let the roads deteriorate to the point that if you tried to go above 70 kmh, your car would rattle itself apart.
That's our "adding complexity to our streets" approach lol
the same province where it is common to see people flying down rural farming roads at 120 when the posted limit is 40, and they catch air on the bumps and potholes. I've seen it
If you let it deteriorate even further, you can also get some nice green-spaces for free =D
@lolaklein I was told that about our approach in Jamaica
Same in Athens. As well as the 40degree side uphill areas
I live in the Netherlands, read the title and though: Wait is this a thing outside the Netherlands? 😂
Only America & Canada, in other countries we have preventative measures, like brains.
@@cambrown5633 Liveleak doesn't agree with that one 😅
UK here and - like the US & Canada - we're _unfortunately_ also much more car-orientated than NL. But...having said that, I've never seen a car crash into a building - or the aftermath of such a crash. I have heard of it happening in Ipswich [where I live] once, but that's it.
@@gideonkloosterman maybe add Russia to that list, but that's it.
flashback to the time a car rode into a vomar a while ago
As a german I am honestly confused that this not only happens, but so _regulary_ you become numb to it.
I'm germany, too, and this is not really uncommon in germany.
There are two reasons for it in germany:
1. Old people (happens quite a lot...)
2. Speeding. In rural areas, you can find quite a lot of damaged houses because of that.
The ALDI supermarked near by needed special barriers to protect their main window at the entrance, as the old people crashed into it at least ones a month. Indeed, the design of the parking space is very bad, plus most oldest people drive the biggest cars here, which doesn't make the situation any better.
Wasn't even good enough for the news... ;)
And we kind of stole that underground trash can idea from the Germans, so....
You got the autobahn tho. If I had a highway without speed limits then I would probably be fine driving slower in the cities.
@@user-dy9ux5dc6e Most parts have a speed limit of 80 -120 kph. That "no limit" is the default, but overridden everywhere and more theoretical then practical.
@@christopherg2347 I stand corrected :).. I thought it was only restricted in the more populated areas but I never had a license when I visited either. You guys are driving Audi's and Volkswagens tho - don't you get the itch for speed?
"I've lived in the Netherlands for a year and a half and I realized that I haven't seen a car crash into a building yet."
How is this a thing? I've live in Portugal for 31 years and I have never seen a car crash into a building
Maybe you should go out more because it happens more than it should, specially in weekends.
It's not that the Netherlands in particular deals with with this very well. It's just an American problem.
@@mardy3732 a combination of both. The Netherlands have especially safe infrastructure. North America has especially unsafe infrastructure
I lived in the Netherlands for 45 years, never seen a car crash into a building ... it happens though.
Ive lived in switzerland for 26 years. I've seen a car crash into a building once. A few years ago when i was on vacation in new york 😂
I love the Dutch. So pragmatic and grounded, so economical efficient and mercantile-minded. The first time I navigated the streets in Amsterdam I thought "WTF how can anyone understand all this signaling??" But once I actually experienced it, the pavement markings, the signage and the signals all revealed themselves to be remarkably simple and intuitive. The coolest thing is you don't have to pay attention to them all just the ones that refer to your mode of transport - car, bike or foot. When everyone does their part it's a delightful dance.
The dance part is the secret. Made possible by the fact most adults do have a drivers license even when not driving, all know how to walk (arguably depending on alcohol levels) and everyone was born and raised as a cyclist...
Honestly, I might actually have a slim chance at driving if I move to the Netherlands. Those markings sound attention-grabbing enough to keep me focused on the road, but not distracting enough to pull my attention away from the road. ADHD is the main thing keeping me from driving because medication isn't enough to rein in my whackadoodle brain. Where I live, I simply couldn't trust myself with a half-ton death machine.
@@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 Same.
@@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 just start with cycling and see how it goes.
The U.K uses potholes to slow cars down
it's actually old people being scared of driving fine and get sweaty palms if they do so
That's why my mother can't go a few miles without shouting STOP GOING 40MPH ON 60 MPH ROADS
Pot holes are ignored as a early 2000s audi can take half a decade worth of pot holes around 50mph
And narrow roads
UK infrastructure is completely decaying. It's particularly unsafe for bicycle riders. Zero thought goes into town planning in the UK.
@@burtleboeuf1429 Well here in Pennsylvania in the US, we have roads that are sinking into rivers, and they just paint over the cracks with tar to cover it up.
@@burtleboeuf1429 One cyclist in hospital saves 104 motorists from 12mph traffic jams. Scientifically proven. We need more potholes.
"People must have done something wrong to be hit by a car"
In America people literally think just not being in a car means you were in the wrong
To be fair. It is a big reason in many situations.
In America, the lowest tier of nobility is the Car Driving Class.
Hits bike, sending it careening off into a ditch, its rider narrowly avoiding death.
Motorist that hit the bike: "Peasant!"
It's the opposite in the UK. Pedestrians have right of way on all corners and all roads once their a few steps from the pavement. If a car hits someone, it's the driver fault, their the one with the deadly weapon after all.
@@vickymc9695 Well that's reassuring to know. Times sure have changed since they sentenced anyone pick-pocketing to the gallows :-p
In Holland, it doesn't matter if you're not at fault, if you're driving a car and you hit and injure or kill somebody, you're the one who's going to have to pay.
At least, your insurance will have to cough up the money.
@@AudieHolland heh true. Same again with insurance for damages. It's likely they'll get points on their licence or be banned from driving too.
American goes to Europe once: "I still haven't seen a car crash into a building, what's going on here?"
That would be me...see crashes everyday...granted most involve other cars, but still, not seeing at least one crash regularly is a rare occurrence.
Great job on paying attention to the video. The guy is clearly Canadian.
@@rars0n Great job paying attention to the comment...the guy is clearly making a separate reference to what an American would say their first time in Europe.
iS tHiS cOuNtRy So PoOr ThAt PeOpLe CaNt DrIvE fAsT eNoUgH
Clearly the buildings are wearing their neon vests
gotta love how almost every shot in the netherlands was taken like 30 mins after it rained.
Because in the Netherlands, it's either raining, just rained or about to rain (again) :P
I remember yearning to feel the ground when it is dry again finally one time.
@@FarfettilLejl where does it always rain? In the last years, my family and me we came for a biking vacation to Belgium and Netherlands and we had only maybe one day of rain.
We were in Roermond, Maastricht, Brugge and Oostende (the most unsightly city I have ever seen)
@@derorje2035 it never rained when you went there therefore the Netherlands doesn't get any rain. Well done
@@FarfettilLejl that is not what I wrote. I asked when it does rain in NLD because I experienced only about 5 h rain there. I never wanted to imply that NLD or BEL are dry.
3:22 The truck driver runs a stop sign, causes someone else to swerve and crash through someone's hedge, then just appears drives off.
Sounds like just another day in America, Russia, or China.
absolute dickhead
Big truck = Big asshole here in America. Something very similar to me happened a couple weeks ago. I was making my turn through a 4 way stop when a oncoming truck ran the stop sign. He stopped short of me but caused me to lose control of my bike and crash (it had just rained so the roads were slippery). He then sped off while I was laid out on the ground. I broke my wrist :(
isn't that illegal? I'm sure it is here in Australia.
I saw a video once, a dash carm, in America, A car entered a freeway at freeway speeds the car in the slow lane got spooked and swerved the car beside him had to swerve to avoid but swerved into the car in the fast lane causing all three to crash, the car that entered never saw any of this as it all happened behind him. but according to the video he was later charged for causing the accident (even though the first car never need to swerve) And those 4 car were the only cars visible in the video
@@SilverMe2004 if you can find them, yeah they still caused the accident. problem is if they drive away your chances are slim. looks like the dashcam person might have followed them and got something though. and if you dont have a dashcam? well too bad. this is why i will not swerve out of the way, a bunch of people i know have had to pay out of their own pocket/insurance.
I had an accident in a corner where it was difficult to see all the traffic coming. And now there is a speed bump in that corner so I kind of see it as "my" speed bump 😂
Once a kid was hit by a car on a certain road where i live. they changed the whole road cause of that
"When you get into the city, the infrastructure changes..."
Me: "Wait wait wait you're saying that's not normal?"
No he say's it is this way in the Netherlands, it's normal in the Netherlands
It's not normal elsewhere lol. Here, eople be building houses by interprovince road and other times, it's interprovince road that has the width of residential streets. 😂
@@thestudentofficial5483 Oh my, I don't even know how to imagine that
It's totally normal, at least in all of Europe. The creator of this video just thinks the Netherlands is special that way.
@@rideroundandstuff not quite true, living in Switzerland I am envious about the bike lanes in the Netherlands. It is slowly changing now, the reason could be, that everyone gets e-bikes now (our terrain is not as flat…), so more bikes are on the street.
The channel should be called: Dutch things Dutch people take for granted. Because àllot of these things are just common sense to us
@classictvguy1 I don't think we would. Most of us just don't consciously know how well desgined the roads over here are
@classictvguy1 Except if that English-speaking country is England. Which is only a few hundred miles away by sea. I've seen more narrow roads in England than in the Netherlands.
@@Ozymandias1 That's more a historical accident I think ?
@@Ozymandias1 true! But less bike friendly.
You mean "a Lot of things are common sense to us" XD.
Yeah I found this out myself in America as a Dutch person. I got a ticket for going 104mph in a 55mph zone but honestly the road I was driving on invited for more speed then the German autobahn
Endless and perfectly straight, with no one around.
(except the police officer I didn’t see until he was behind me and told me he spent 30 minutes catching up).
Yes in the Netherlands, you can tell how fast to drive based on the road type, there are only 5 road types. Speed limit signs aren't needed then, and are also not that common. Really confused me when I first started driving here.
Looolll. Ok but seriously, 104 mph? I'm scared to go to 100kmh on a highway (limit is 110) cuz my car doesn't feel right at that speed.
@@8lec_R perhaps was reading 104 kmh on the mph.....
@@8lec_R Then I'd say it's the matter of the car. I have an old and imperfect, hmm, midsize let's say, and it feels perfectly fine at 120 km/h (the limit on Polish express roads). And even when I once drove... *noticeably more* than that, the car was still perfectly fine (except noisy and probably drinking fuel like there's no tomorrow). So, in a car built for long distance travel, on a fitting road, 104 MPH could not feel really special. Mind you, it doesn't even have to be a new or expensive car.
Have you ever seen a car crashed into a building, or am I the only lucky one that's seen it multiple times?
As I was making this video, a car crashed into a house in the Netherlands, but the driver was a murder suspect and was being chased by police: www.destentor.nl/hardenberg/bizarre-crash-tijdens-achtervolging-auto-knalt-woonkamer-binnen-in-bergentheim~a6d3ac9d/
Including that one, I was only able to find three articles about cars crashing into buildings in the Netherlands. I'm sure there are more, but it's certainly not common. It was pretty easy to find the articles for Canada. ;)
I've never seen it, and the only times here in the netherlands I heard about it, was when it was big on the news. I'm thus not surprised you haven't been able to find a lot of articles about cars crashing into buildings in the Netherlands. I'm actually surprised that it happens so often in the USA and Canada: I never thought about it as something that could happen often.
In my hometown I know a old person (like 90 years old) with heart problems crashed into a brick garden wall. The wall was completely destroyed, but luckily it was there otherwise the car would've probably crashed into the building
I've personally noticed that driving with stick shift makes you less prone to driving way to fast. When you are driving with a stick shift you can hear your car working too hard when you drive too fast in a lower gear. I've driven an automatic car once and I noticed that I would start driving too fast since the car shifts gears automatically for me and I don't get to hear the motor of the car working harder than it should. altough I don't want to soften the blame on the main benifactor of this problem, this might be also one of the many factors that influences this problem.
No, how the hack do you hit a house with a car? (The Netherlands)
Note the small text under the pictures at the very bottom of the article. Even normal, everyday people consider street design when talking about accidents, not just the designers themselves!
"Daags na het ongeluk wordt direct begonnen met het tijdelijke herstel van de woning. Ook is nu goed te zien hoe de weg verder loopt. Op de positie van de fotograaf is een iets flauwe bocht. © 112 Hardenberg"
The day after the accident temporary restoration(?) of the home has already started. It is now clearly visible how the road continues. There is a slight bend where the photographer is standing."
I’m dutch saw the title and thought: wait are there legit country where this happens so much such a video is being made?
Great video! Coming from Germany and living in Amsterdam you can clearly see that there are no big car lobby groups as there is not such a huge car industry like in Germany or the US. That makes it easier to restrict "car rights". Also, I think that stick shifting is a reason for fewer accidents like this. You can't just step on the accelerator and the car will go through a house.
As dutch person after seeing all the camera footage: conclusion: many Americans can't drive.
Most of the footage was from Canadians. ;-)
@Re Up Canada is in America, despite the USians' attempts to take over the name.
But the video specifically emphasizes that it's not the people who can't drive, it's road infrastructure that allows for such accidents to happen.
@icebraining Canada is in North America not America.
@@nightfly4664 ever heard of North-America ? ;)
Average person: Blames driver
Victim Blamer: Blames victim
Netherlands: Blames street
Galaxy brain
The average person blames the victim here.
Volvo: Blames the vehicle
Delusional person: Blames God.
I mean blaming the street is not that far of blaming the building
The more I see and hear about North America, the more I realize I never want to set foot there. Growing up, USA was this magical place we all wished to live out our wildest dreams in. As I get older I keep finding reasons for never going there, and finding things I take for granted here in Europe that I should be really glad we have.
Don't write off Canada because of the USA. We're very different countries.
Me in Canada: Ah I don't recall cars crashing into buildings that often.
me: *Google searches car crashes into building near me*.
news: two days ago a car crashed into an apartment with speed potentially to blame.
me: Okay, nevermind.
An old lady recently here in Victoria managed to drive in to uptown thru a concrete wall in a subaru outback and thru the metal wall of the freezer of a walmart managing to finally come to a rest in one of those fast food places inside walmart. It trapped a bunch of workers in for a few hours
I googled car crash into building for Montreal. On the first page, so first then result. 3 of them are about the same car crashing into a building in Quebec city, one is about Lac-Mégantic rail disaster one is a car crash in Ajax and the last one is an article with the following as title: "Canadians keep crashing cars into buildings". Second page is mostly about car crashing into building but mostly in Ontario.
I always been told by people living in Ontario that Quebec driver's are the worst & craziest but google car crash & Montreal and you get more result from car crash in Toronto & Ontario in general. Something doesn't add up.
@@abccanada6248 yeah, that was pretty shocking.
@@Boby9333 well, ontario has a higher population.
@@yousefnoori Still, when you google "Montreal car crash" you expect more result from Montreal than any other city. Also Ontario is 3/2 the population Quebec, so I don't expect to see that much more result from Ontario.
Designing a city like how UX/UI designers would is figuratively the best thing I've ever heard.
i tink not even 3% of all americans would pass a dutch driving exam
They wouldnt pass the brazilian test either😂. Sometimes they use rulers the position you park the car
@@lm2182 Precision parking is a totally different skill from speed control.
@@jordanrodrigues8265 But does show you a bit of vehicular control.
@@jordanrodrigues8265 There's nothing hard about speed control.
See that sign: 30Mph or 50Kmh? Do NOT drive faster than that.
American drivers: Huh?
I can tell your dutch because dutch people pronounce think like tink
Having grown up in a very typical mid-sized North American city, this hits close to home. I just don't understand how we can accept the status quo of building more and wider roads that often result in such destruction and loss of lives...We need to wake up and realize the benefits of smart urbanism, like the Dutch.
That’s gonna cost a lot of tax money, and I found out most Americans believe they are more allergic to paying a viable amount of tax then to car crashes or other deadly things that can be solved with a healthy forward looking mind and some tax money...
@@bartvschuylenburg Except that the infra is actually vastly cheaper. American car infra is extraordinarily expensive. I live in Dallas, where just one freeway intersection cost more money than implementing bike infra for the whole Dallas metro area. Americans spend huge sums of public and private money on cars. Dutch infra is vastly cheaper.
Without wide roads in the US there’s no place to crash your Mustang into unsuspecting oncoming traffic. That would ruin a whole YT niche.
Because persons in the white house are focused on all the wrong things. And as a nation unfornatily most just follow blind this, wrong curve and exclude logica over money. The fun part if they would think more in logica, they would make more money and more important they would realise money isn’t everything. Easy to have but not major as it is sold right now. In a time where miljonairs lose money and billionaires gain money… what’s wrong in that picture? Common sense people! Have a good one :)
Funny how it hits close to home though
I work in a smallish college town at a glass business. We replace storefront because of car damage several times a year. We aren't the only glass business in town either.
The US has double the amount of traffic-related deaths (per capita) compared to most countries in western Europe. I guess freedom comes with a cost.
What freedom? To carry a gun?
@@FarfettilLejl The freedom to elect an orange with a few to many chromosomes.
Freedom is a word that has lost all its meaning.
@@Staroy Not even that. Don't forget that citizens don't elect the president in the US. The electoral college does
@@Staroy He has the most chromosomes! Some would say the best chromosomes! You are just jealous because he has more chromosomes than you!
Wait. Cars are constantly crashing into buildings? How do you even do that?
1) drive too fast
2) something unexpected happens
3) lose control and crash into a building
Easy as 1-2-3!
@@NotJustBikes I also have the theory that they brake way fewer times and for this reason if something unexpected happens they are not going to brake or worse, they step on the gas pedal. In the videos you showed no one braked like they should.
I think part of the problem is automatic cars rather than manual gear shifts.
@@simonh6371 yeah, I always aim for a low rpm on the engine in order to save fuel. It's pretty hard to accelerate above the speed limit when you're doing 45 km/h in 4yh gear.
@@simonh6371 The dutch do many things well in road safety, but sticking to manual shift is not one of them. No matter how good of a driver you are, you always spend a part of your concentration on the shifting process, or on when to do it.
We changed to an automatic gear box a couple of years ago and I immediately became a better driver. Manual shift cars should be phased out, in my opinion. The roads will become safer.
During my 41 years of living in Germany, I have never seen a car crash into a building, but I have a different view regarding the reasons (also including other types of road accidents). I can't deny that the differences in street design may be a factor, but I wouldn't be so sure that people confusing gas and brakes or people playing on their mobile phone aren't relevant issues, too.
1. In Western Europe about 75% of the cars have manual transmission
2. In the USA you see people using their phone while driving ALL the time. This has become very rare in Western Europe. The risk awareness is different in this regard. I personally NEVER use my phone in the car. When I receive a call, I ignore it and call back later. Messaging: 100% taboo.
3. Many Americans have no driving skills at all... shifting lanes where there's no space between cars, lazy turn signal usage, ignoring STOP signs, infrequent shoulder checking etc. It's not their fault: getting a drivers license is far too easy in the USA (Germany: ~2000$ and lots of training in theory and praxis, you don't get the license unless you're really dedicated, many people fail the test at their first attempt), i.e. in the USA people aren't properly trained from the beginning. When you already start with bad habits, it's hard to shake them off later.
4. roundabouts replace many conventional intersections (world leader: France): speeding into a roundabout is much less tempting than with a conventional intersection
5. there are safety-relevant differences regarding the traffic rules
- in most european countries overtaking on the right is generally forbidden, i.e. the faster lanes are always on the left and you don't have vehicles approaching at higher speeds on both sides
- red light means red light, i.e. there is no general exception for right turns and hence not the confusion with some intersections having the "no turn on red" sign, while others don't
- "right before left" as a clear rule for intersections without traffic lights
If the arguments aren't convincing, maybe the numbers are:
- road traffic fatalities per 100.000 inhabitants per year: Norway 2, Sweden 2.2, Germany 3.7, Netherlands 3.8, USA *12.4*
- road traffic fatalities per 1 billion vehicle km: Norway 3.0, Sweden 3.8, Germany 4.2, Netherlands 4.7, USA *7.3*
It's worth mentioning that Germany has these lower fatality numbers inspite of having no general speed limit on the Autobahn and inspite of having many more "small" cars instead of huge pick-ups that are built like a tank and offer more passive protection, so don't even get me started on non-lethal accidents and fender benders in the USA vs. Western Europe...
Obviously, a lot could be done to improve road safety in the USA...
I almost crashed into a VW Tiguan on Autobahn in 2017 because the idiot was driving at 150 km/h while holding a phone and slide leftwards without noticing.
all that bs just to reduce the number of fatalities per 500 MILLION miles? Lmfao
@@iAreEddie You don't get it. Fatal accidents are only the "tip-of-the-iceberg" worst-case scenarios (but still the leading cause of death of Americans below age 30). Non-fatal injuries and damage-only accidents are the problem where the USA look _really_ bad, compared to all other high-income countries, not to mention that they cost about 2% of the gross domestic product. The only problem with non-fatal accidents is that it's hard to quote official numbers because they differ between insurance companies and there is no total statistic (e.g. NTSB) that officially sums it up, at least none that I know of. I can only give a rough number: about 0.7% of the car crashes include fatalities. Maybe now you get the idea how big the non-fatal car crash problem in the USA is. Let's take a single city like Miami FL: they report about 65.000 car crashes each year, about half of those with injuries. So you think that's insignificant enough to call it "bs"?
@H C : no country can claim it's idiot-free, but single anecdotes don't make a statistic. Speaking of anecdotes: in my ~24 years of having a drivers license, the only time somebody ever bumped into my car happend in the USA: I was waiting at a red traffic light and the other guy approaching from behind thought his mobile phone was more important than decelerating in order to avoid my rear bumper (and even though this was clearly his fault, that individual turned aggressive on me and even threatend to hit me only because I calmly asked for his name and insurance data, then he refused to wait for the police and drove away - "nice" guy...).
This becoming a more common topic here in the states, and I liked the way you presented the information as it was clear, concise, and conclusive. The sass was just bonus! lol Great job!
P E R S O N A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y
The way you said that I just had to like this video omg
Part of the reason that these long, straight streets lead to speeding is that drivers get bored!
Basically make the environment so that way the people will have to unconsciously consciously think about looking outside and paying more attention...
Like training them without them realising...
Think the word you are looking for is Subconscious lol. As in train people to Subconsciously to drive appropriately and at suitable speeds.
Bingo, the safest streets are the streets that are completely shared and where there is no seperation between bikes, pedestrians and cars.
They litterally are zero accident zones. It makes drivers insecure and automaticly makes them pay attention what is happening around them and drive slowly.
Same goes for bikes and pedestrians look behind them as well.
It is perfect for retail areas, schools etc. Cause it slows cars to a crawl basicly.
I live in Merida Mexico. For 20 years. And I've never seen a car crash into a building.👍🏼
I don't think the VOA (the police department that investigates car crashes) looks to the road design for each individual incident. But rather if a trend starts to occur, and several incidents happen, they will notice it and people start thinking about how the road design can be changed.
Trends are definately analysed, as you can see on this map: www.bliq.report/ (Dutch and English version available, see top right switch) Zoom in to see the traffic streets at lower levels. The study behind the map was made on demand of a cooperation of the police & insurance companies. Some more info can be read here: www.limburger.nl/cnt/dmf20190601_00108202/maaslandlaan-weert-onveiligste-weg-in-limburg
The problem with cars is that they're often operated by people who are way underqualified to be in control of something so fast and heavy. Aren't cars actually just a bad idea in many, many different ways?
I did not understand what a joke a driver's licence is in the USA (at least AZ) until a friend of mine got a licence in Tuscon when he was doing a PhD there at the time.
He just needed something to show when buying alcohol, not for actual driving, as he had a proper Dutch driving licence.
@@rogerwilco2 I've heard that driving lessons in the USA are mainly theoretical lessons and that i.e. of 25 lessons you take only 5 are practical driving lessons wich baffles me. I get that driving without stick shift is easier, but since you aren't changing gears yourself you notice way later that you are driving faster than you think you are.
I was once told that in some parts of the States, high school kids are taken out to a parking lot in groups one afternoon and made to drive back and forth a bit, then in circles around some pylons. If they succeed, they're approved then and there and receive their licence as soon as possible. I hope that's just an anecdote from some rural dweller in the 70s or something, and not actual policy....
@@GrijzePilion It's not that far off. When I got my license, I simply drove around the block. Didn't even have to It was so stupid. Of course this area is full of garbage drivers
The car is also a necessity and a convenience. The glass is, according to me, half full. According to you, half empty. That is a difference in how we view the world.
The only times I hear about this here in Germany it is always elderly people with automatic transmission who confused the break and the gas pedals.
ALWAYS automatic, never stick shift.
I once sat through a one hour video of a Seattle city planner who had studied the Dutch roads and was presenting them to the street safety committee in his city. I was baffled by the fact that things that were so normal for me that I didn't give them a second thought anymore, seemed like rocket science to his audience. I was quite happy to see that people want change in their cities and are opting for less cars on the roads, or at least less dangerous situations. See the video here, be warned that it is an hour long, but really worth the time; th-cam.com/video/l0GA901oGe4/w-d-xo.html
I was also glad to read that some NYC and Boston streets might be permanently closed down for cars because during this C-virus situation people found out that there isn't enough space on the sidewalk to walk or bike around safely.
Thanks for the link! I will watch it.
And yes, North America traffic engineers could learn a lot from their Dutch counterparts.
I found that video a while back as well. It really opened my eyes about just how much thought has gone into infrastructure over here and how good we have it as cyclists in the Netherlands. Our tax euros (or guldens in the 80s) at work.
@@NotJustBikes they defenetly can, the dutch have almost the best roads in the world
Dat kunnen ze zeker, de Nederlanders hebben zowat de beste wegen ter wereld
@@cearnicus What people still don't understand is the ROI of that money put in. That is calculated as for every €1 invested you get 3.5 back. That means all of a sudden you can do fancy stuff like building a three story bicycle parking for 17,500 bicycles...
I love watching your video's! As a born and raised Dutchman, I take a lot of these things for granted. Even though I have been to the US and Canada on many occasions - I surely know the difference. But your thoughts on it make it very clear to me that I should love my country even more! haha
Me as a German: *wtf they doing ova there?*
The entire premise of this video is bizarre. In my whole life i can count on one hand the number of times i've heard of a car crashing into a building. The more you learn about north america the more I want to stay away from it!
I remember when they first rebuilt carnegiedreef, I was annoyed at first I couldn't drive fast in a straight line anymore.
3:55 YES!
About a month ago, there was a bridge that was being repaired, but they had to close down trafic because some structure has been damaged due to the repair. In the news article, they said that the company wasn't looking for anyone to blame, but they were trying to find a solution ASAP and figure out how to avoid this in the future. In the comments, many people were furious: the company should fire the person who made that mistake. Yeah...
As someone who lives in a relatively rural area of the US, I had no idea so many drivers had a vendetta against storefronts in this part of the world. Another entry on my long list of why I'll never move to a city or a big town
Dude, I just moved to Toronto 6 months ago now you leave me with 2 choices 1) Move to Netherlands or 2) Revolutionize Canada!
I haven’t heard about this was a thing. I live in Norway and read about it in the media from time to time, but it is rare. Great video by the way.
Norway also have similar as Sweden and Netherlands: When ever there are a serious accident, at least with deceased people, there is an investigation from the road authorities. This have on of the reasons we have a low rate of people killed in traffic. Even if one person is one too many.
The only time I have seen a car crash into a building in the UK was when they intentionally crash to try rob the place.
Mhm or if it has anything to do with crime in general since most recent i heard a car hitting a building was i think a stolen one crashing into a abandoned one after an incident at a junction.....
And that building has been collapsing more and more ever since.
people wouldn't need to drive so fast if everything wasn't so far apart
Everything is so far apart because Canada and the US are so large. In Europe several countries combined are smaller than one Canadian province. Try understanding Geography,
@@pudmina Try blowing me
@@Eralen00 Try growing up, child.
@@pudmina and china and japan are quite massive countries. Yet for the most part, you don't need to travel a couple of miles just to get to your location. If you do however you'll take the train. Simple innit
Love what is being done in the Netherlands with the lane narrowing and impediments. The Dutch urban landscape is very appealing. The opening of this video sure had a crazy amount of trolley wire overhead,and I also like where the street cars run in the grassy median.
3:26 dude runs stop sign, indirectly causing crash, and just speeds away!?
We definitely blame the building here in the US. Who was the idiot that built it way too close to the road. Gotta keep those cars moving.
An old lady crashed through a brick wall at the CVS next door to my work in Houston, Texas. Here it’s always a pharmacy and it is always old people. In Houston we have so much space that shops aren’t often right off the road. also all buildings are required by city ordinance to have a certain number of parking spots, so there is usually a buffer zone around buildings.
The huge difference in the cultural approach to this is even reflected in speech:
While in the UK they call it "RTC" (road traffic collision) - and in multiple documentaries I have heard this one sentence about that: "We don't call it an accident, because RTC are rarely a true accident. Usually they are the result of one or more people doing the wrong thing." - in dutch they call it "Verkeersongeval" or sometimes even "Verkeersongeluk", which translates to "traffic accident" or even "traffic mishap" respectively. And stats are being kept regardless of who is at fault and who got injured. The dutch regularly identify so-called "black spots" on their road network, where accidents happen significantly more often than on an average stretch of road. Once a "black spot" is identified, it's the duty of the city/town to propose preventative meassures.
As far I can see from looking at the data the UK has fewer deaths on the roads than the Netherlands. Going by either deaths per distance travelled, or by capita.
I'm not sure why this video lumps the UK in with the US and Canada. The roads in the UK share nothing in common with them.
1%: For the video
99%: Looking in the comments for other Dutch people
Snake hill! I would sometimes cycle home from school this way and get above 50 km/h, breaking the speed limit for cars but on a pedal bike.
2:15
There’s a house one one of the main roads coming into my small town that got absolutely PULVERIZED by some large vehicle or another (I only saw the aftermath, but it must’ve been a tractor trailer based on the damage).
Eventually they rebuilt the front of the house. There was NO infrastructure change to prevent that from happening again. No barrier, no signage, no nothing.
It always struck me as being extremely irresponsible that they just rebuilt things without improvements/precautions, and I imagine I would never be able to relax if I ever lived in that house (and I for damn sure wouldn’t keep my bed or any of my valuables anywhere near the front of the house)
This channel is underrated
But most importantly,
It is:
G E K O L O N I S E E R D
Daniel Bearda stop alsjeblieft
People in the US drive like absolute insane maniacs. Everyone is so angry, and they take it out on other drivers. It is also insane to me that in the US, once you take the driver's test, you never have to take it again. Once when you're 17 is enough. How in the flying f______ck is that not considered completely preposterous? You should have to take the test again every 4 years when you renew your license, to prove you deserve it. You have to renew every single other certification, from a forklift to CPR, but not the most deadly thing we do every day? UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
Not just bikes: a school bus is not a building
Me, frantically taking notes: uhuh uhuh go on
Also in The Netherlands, non-motorised road users like bikes and pedestrians are protected: the motorised vehicle is almost always liable for any damage, also if an accident is not the fault of the one using the motorised vehicle.
So the whole mind-set in the Netherlands is different from the mind-set in US and Canada. In short; the road, traffic signs, roundabout, zebra-crossings, every traffic sign tells us what we can or cannot do. Anglo-american mind-set is different as in; the road is there in front of you, sitting behind the wheel of your own car, you take care of your responsability, while I take care of mine. But the mind-set should be; WE have got a SHARED responsability. So if the road design can make you drive safer, and can give you the opportunity to communicate with other drivers or traffic participants, than traffic can be much safer. I do hope that some smart people are able to implement change in how to rebuild the traffic-infrastructure to benefit the safety of every individual and let city-planners come up with good ideas to safe life, and buildings in citties all across the US and Canada. Furthermore improvement in educating drivers better and let them take 20 lessons with a propper exam, to get their drivers-licence, before giving them the freedom to take part in traffic!!
exactly! the issue si very much that individualism and that disconnect people have as soon as they get in their cars that they're not people anymore, it is SHARED responsibility
Automatic transmission is the major fault. I never saw news articles about these sort of accidents when I lived in the Thames Valley west of London where people mostly drive manual transmission cars to work or stations. I moved to Devon which has a high number of over 70's driving small automatic cars and there are many more cases of cars crashing into walls and buildings
As someone from Hamilton Ontario, it’s so bad that within walking distance from my house, this one business has been hit multiple times
I’m dutch and I didn’t even know this.
I just clicked because I was so confused if cars not often crashing in buildings is really uncommon in other countries so that someone really made a video on that topic and why the hell it is usual in other countries for cars to crash into buildings?! Oo Greetings from Germany :D
As an American, I want you to know that your audience has expanded beyond just Dutch people staring in awe at the disastrous planning of other countries.
If you are a little bit familiar with German, research Waitzstraße (Waitz Street) in Hamburg, Germany. It's a street in a more wealthy neighborhood where cars are crashing into shops on a pretty regular basis since 10-15 years. Preferably older folks in their fancy Mercedes see themselves arriving in a fancy fashion store including their cars. It's almost becoming a meme and authorities were still not able to fix this issue.
If you're not scared of a 4x4 crashing through your front window then are you really living?
Another factor is driver training. In most countries in Europe driver training, both theoretical and practical is mandatory and has to be provided by a certified driving instructor. This includes driving in adverse conditions and emergency maneuvres. In North America very little if any training is mandatory, so bad driving habbits get passed down from generation to generation.
3:33 James May riding his bike, confused about fast drivers
This made me realise that, although I know these crashes happen, I cannot recall an example of it ever happening in my own country
Those clips you see of cars smashing into gyms from the inside make a lot more sense now
I really think that much like the idea that if you rear end someone you're presumed at fault, if you knock anyone down whether pedestrian or bike you should be presumed negligent and asked to prove otherwise. Seems the US is exact opposite.
Anyway it's more about the design of streets than the individual so bravo for another sterling njb video.
as an european, i'm officially scared of american roads o.O
@@learntostrafe tbh, i don't want to step on australia only because of the animals *cough* insects *cough* already ^^
😂😂😂😂 I live in the countryside of Brazil, in a town that was built over 7 hills. Strait wide roads are also downwards! Many corners in the city center has some kind of protection for the buildings. I knew a family that had a car crshing into their family room while they were all there watching tv.
Not really a question I’ve ever asked myself but I’m glad there’s a video answering it
wait this is considered a normal and regular thing in north america???
01:37 "Former drug dealer and general scumbag elected as premier of Ontario."
I laughed so hard I spit my coffee all over my desk. Technically you owe me a new monitor but I forgive you.
I've never seen a car crash into a building here in the UK but I'm sure it happens and totally see the personal responsibility angle all the time. My favourite line when cycling is 'they weren't even wearing a helmet' as if that warrants them being hurt.
American here. So you mean to tell me that when terrible things happen, the Dutch actually *look into why they happened* and *actually take steps to stop them from happening again??!* And furthermore, you mean to insinuate that *less terrible things happen in the Netherlands??!!* And just to stretch my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point, you aim to *suggest,* nay, ASSERT, that these two things are in some way connected?!?!?
Next you're going to be telling me that you don't have daily mass shootings and extrajudicial killings of unarmed minorities! Unbelievable.
This is morbidly funny. It isn't really, but you squeezed a good amount of hilarity out of it.
@@LootFragg Sometimes you just gotta laugh at yourself 🤷♂️
In the Netherlands they investigate crashes and change road design to be more safe.
While in the US, where i live, i have seen over 25 accidents on my block at an unmarked blind intersection, with 2 fatalities, one person got out of the car missing an arm, and a handful of near fatality accidents, and we cant even get anything done about it, we cant even get someone to put up a yield sign at the intersection.
I'm French and I only heard once about a car crashing into a building because the road collapsed. I'm astonished to learn that it can happen multiple times a year in Canada
As an American who has lived in rural areas my whole life, your channel is very interesting not only for information on Europe but also urban United States.
We also do this in Denmark. if people drive to fast. we put in bumps. if people crash often at the specific light crossing we put in a round a bound. also the separation of bike away from the road has been a huge thing here. where bikes get their own lane away from the road. it's nice.
“If the building had reflective lights that never would have happened” *stares in 11’8”*
I think buildings should be taxed & registered the same as cars if they are going to use the road.
It reminds me of Whintrop MA, a coastal community and an incorporated town, just outside Boston city limits by the North.
It is a peninsula with a single road passage linking towards East Boston. A hamlet no less. Very quaint. Lots of Boston based air pilots choose to live there.
A fact all Whintrop residents know, and outsiders are all oblivious to , is that throughout their town the speed limit is 30 mph or roughly 45km/h.
One day I sat at the courtroom on my way to dispute my moving violation , which had nothing to do with speed limit.
Case after case, everyone there besides me had broken, unbeknownst , the town speed limit, and the local cop had made quite a living in writing up traffic citations wig fines.
I mean, people driving 40mph/60 I'm/hr were getting speeding tickets.
Where I used to live in Cali,
*Seeing car crashes in the block every week due to passing red lights and driving through tight, complicated roads
Where I live now in Texas
*Everybody driving crazy fast but actually aware and not a single crash in months
Exactly. It's driver training not how wide or narrow the road is. If idiots can't drive it won't matter if you put them in a parking lot with nothing around, they'll find a way to crash.
14 years in Ireland and I’ve never even heard of a car crashing into a building.
In The Netherlands most cars crash into buildings on purpose: criminals who try (try to) steal money from ATM's or a specific shop in buildings.
Which indeed now leads to questions as to if ATM's should be in buildings, to prevent (purpose) crashes into buildings...
We even had an insure company use it as topic in a commercial: th-cam.com/video/4Qwvst2ml4w/w-d-xo.html
Where exactly is this a common thing?
the u.s
Ive seen cars crash into buildings several times, one time one crashed into a gate right next to my house
In Raleigh, NC, there’s a house that has been hit by vehicles at least six times. This house was located at the intersection between a 45 MPH stroad and a residential street. Finally, after the sixth crash, the city decided to close-off the residential street from the 45 MPH stroad and install a guardrail. The house is no longer being hit, but everyone who lives on that residential street must now drive farther to get to the main road.
I definitely wouldn’t say it’s a common thing in the US... I’ve only seen probably 3 on the news and have never seen one in person before.
Yeah, and when it happens it's usually someone that's older or is having a medical emergency.
I don't live in a particularly small city in the US and I've never seen a car crash involving a building myself, nor have I seen any on the news in recent memory
"This damaged house was surely standing at the false spot during traffic... It should have standed in the Netherlands!"
I'm not a fan of the US's transportation infrastructure, but something about this video makes me want to defend it
living in LA there is at least one to two vehicle accidents EVERY SINGLE DAY. It's ridiculous how many people dont pay attention while driving
I never noticed that this happened often. I mean car crash between two vehicles happens like once every year but I've never actually seen a car crash into a building or any kind, at least where I live in the US. I mean, it's not like we have a small population. When I was little my town had about 6,000 or so people, now we have about 60,000 people so about x10 the amount but I've never heard of it happening before.
I knew driving into buildings was a thing that could happen, but I never thought it would with any sort of frequency anywhere
1:58 tell me this is a hollywood movie scene
As a Dutch guy I've never known that you guys have so many cars driving into buildings
@@Lucas-up6ww Yes, and important civic buildings will often have a carefully designed crash barrier. It's usually disguised as some sort of landscaping, but you can spot them once you start looking. For example, if you look at the Toronto transit control centre on the southwest corner of Bathurst and Davenport you can see the crash wall (disguised as a brick wall) which protects the building against cars travelling quickly downhill along Bathurst Street.
@@OntarioTrafficMan That seems to me to be a bad solution
@@martijn9568 I think it's a good solution to a bad problem. Ideally the City should design the roads such that traffic does not move at high speeds where people live and work, but until then it makes sense to have cars crash into crash walls instead of structural walls.
For real though.. Only heard about the planes
@@jenslammers4502 yikes
This is exactly why my house decided to be in The Netherlands
And this is why in America, we have so many mobile homes. They're hoping they can get out of the way...
Ah yes, the fascinating migration patterns of houses ☺
So what do you call home?
Tom In Denver Any success?😂
@4 fun They could be carried.