I wonder why it is so deadly. What do you think the problem is?

by looking at this NPR story

you can become one of the most proficient drivers on the road, and still run a high risk of injury or death because of the idiots one inevitably encounters in traffic. I don’t know how to eliminate that risk, other than shooting them on sight (a solution that for some reason remains unpopular with our elected representatives).

I travel rural roads as a matter of routine, since I live in a rural area. I’m convinced that one must become a master of defensive driving. I learned long ago to envision what can go wrong, and to have a pre-planned response ready. That way, when the defecation strikes the oscillation, I will have already made the decision to react in a certain way. Then it’s just a matter of putting the plan into action. That saves a second or so, but at 60 mph one is traveling 90 feet in that second.

Regardless, I also hate seeing stretches of twisty, hilly, exciting roadways being dumbed down to the lowest common denominator (a number that seems to get lower each year). The old highways have character for those of us with the skills and the vehicles to navigate them. The thought of an America that one sees only from the homogeneity of the Interstate highways is depressing. Only on the rural roads does one encounter the local character of the land one is passing through.