Most cabbies are not racists. Many BLACK cab-drivers refused to pick up African-Americans whom they judged to be a security risk.

After all, the cost to a potential black customer who is misjudged is a slight inconvenience. The cost to a cabbie who misjudges is a bullet in the skull.

Easy to throw around accusations of racism from behind the comfort of the keyboard. Hard to risk your life driving a cab.

That said, Giuiliani was right to crack down on reckless drivers. The author deliberately understates the case - he said "they drive too fast". NY cab drivers drive worse and more recklessly than the average driver. Why?

1) The faster they drive the more money they make. But also, I have seen them drive on the sidewalks and make insane illegal U-turns to try to pick up fares. They often fail to signal and dangerous cut you off in heavy traffic, and ferquently run red lights and stop signs. Not that other NYC drivers are so great - but cab drivers are much worse.

2) Many come from countries where there is no kind of traffic enforcement and/or high levels of police corruption .

3) Many have just recently learned how to drive.

OK a statistical question for you.

In mid-town traffic - approaching a traffic light that is yellow and which turns red BEFORE the oncoming vehicle reaches the intersection.

Which of the following vehicles is MOST likely to run the red light

• A cabbie without a fare
• A cabbie WITH a fare
• A private SUV
• A city Bus
• A private passenger (sedan) car

The statistical answer is the NYC Bus.

30% of the time in fact. 30% of the time when the Bus had the opportunity to stop or enter the intersection on an existing red light - the Bus ran the light. About 10% of the time more often than cabbies.

BUT the NYC Transit Union is strong enough to break any mayor. Guess who Giuliani picked on...

Blacks can be racist against blacks.

And which is least likely to run the light?

"Most cabbies are not racists. Many BLACK cab-drivers refused to pick up African-Americans whom they judged to be a security risk."

That is just as racist as not picking up someone who is the wrong color. How do they determine them to be a security risk? By the way they look? A person wearing a business suit can put a bullet in the back of your head just as quickly as a person dressed shoddily.

donnamp:

"Most cabbies are not racists. Many BLACK cab-drivers refused to pick up African-Americans whom they judged to be a security risk."

That is just as racist as not picking up someone who is the wrong color. How do they determine them to be a security risk? By the way they look? A person wearing a business suit can put a bullet in the back of your head just as quickly as a person dressed shoddily.

Right, but I think that professional cabbies know the streets better than you do, in all probability. Even if they drive poorly- the one thing they are gonna pick up quickly, especially from other drivers, is street knowledge.

Street knowledge is about staying alive, and making a buck, IN THAT ORDER. I'm going to trust the cabbies' general assessments of that as being closer to reality, than yours, thank you.

great, that goes right along with blacks being imprisoned far more than others, its because they commit more crimes, so whats the problem with profiling?

I don't have a problem with profiling. It is a phony PC issue, paid lip-service to by a bunch of phony politicians.

My favorite quote by Mayor Bloomberg, when he explained that New York's new subway bag check would be completely random was this : (I may be slightly paraphrasing )

"If there is one thing we have learned, it is that nobody has any idea what a terrorist may look like".

So a young Middle-eastern-looking guy gets checked with the same probabililty as a Chinese grandmother.

donnamp: it doesn't happen quite as often though, does it?

Its true, one of my mothers uncles operates a cab in NY and is weary of black people only because hes gotten screwed too many times by people wanting a ride out to the boonies, and then mysteriously not having the money for the fare when they reach their destination, and then disappearing inside buildings and not returning. He was also robbed at gun point while dropping off one of these riders. This is obviously happening to way too many cab drivers, and im sorry but I would not take the risk either.