If everyone would just get the hell out of my way!

Demetrius XXIV and the Gladiatores wrote:

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 21:32:59 +0000, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
wrote:

Crash risk increases with speed,

No, crash risk increases with stupidity.

And speed.

So are you saying a five year old driving at 15mph is less dangerous
than a professional driver doing 85?

How about a comatose vegetable? Would you feel safer being in a car
with such a driver at 30mph than with a fully functioning adult at 60?

Would you feel safer with a comatose vegetable doing 15 mph or 120?

Even professional race car drivers crash. They occasionally die in
those crashes too. And that's being surrounded by other, professional
drivers.

How can this be so?

Are you really that stupid? Do you honestly attribute the safety of a
limted-access highway with no turns across traffic, few junctions,
wide lanes, separated carriageways, long sightlines and long merge
lanes, solely to the speed of traffic? Incredible! Here, I've got a
bridge you might like to buy. It's nice and safe, I just put a 120mph
limit on it.

As long as there are no morons on it, I'll take it. The reason why
turns and junctions "cause" accidents is becase stupid people cannot
negotiate them safely.

Yet these same idiots can drive three times faster with fewer
accidents when you take away said variables. Because their idiotic
minds are not called upon to make as many decisions.

Stupid kills.

Problem is, unless you're on a racetrack, you're sharing the road with
the public, and the public can vary quite a bit in its driving skills.

It also seems *everyone* thinks *they* are a good, competent driver.

Oh goody, not just a festering troll, but a foul-mouthed festering
troll.

The only foul odor is coming from that rotting mushpile you call a
mind. I can see why you would propagate the notion that speed and not
a lack of mental capacity is fatal.

Or perhaps a lack of mental capacity in thinking speed isn't a major
factor in safety on public roads?


SMH

wrote in message
...

So I get some moron tailgating me at literally 4 feet from my bumper
in a small town where the speed limit is 30. Tapping the brake did
nothing, so I just coasted to a complete stop and parked. The asshole
had the nerve to flip me the finger. I got his license number and
just called the police. They said there is nothing they can do unless
the guy caused an accident or did damage. What ever happened to
citizens arrest? At least they could have phoned the guy and said
there was a complaint.

Hell, I was recently *stopped* based on a cell phone call from a moron who
didn't like that I passed him out in the country. Of course, this was in a
little nazified town in Ohio where they don't have much else to do ...

Maybe next time I should just beat the crap out of the guy !!!

Try Plan B:

Make a call to your local traffic prosecutor's office to complain. They'll
tell you the same thing the police did about getting a conviction out of a
citation, but they *can* call the guy in to have a 'conference' under the
guise of 'investigation'. As long as they're willing to do this and as long
as you understand that's all that will come of it, it's a good idea to
pursue. I once did this with a drunk driver who almost rear-ended me on my
bike. After I explained what happened to a prosecutor pal of mine, he was
happy to call the woman in and try to throw a little scare into her.
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; done that)

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 08:04:57 -0500, Stephen Harding
wrote:

Would you feel safer with a comatose vegetable doing 15 mph or 120?

I can certainly see a connection between those who support mindless
speed enforcement and stupidity. Why does this not surprise me?
Because only a moron would feel safer with a comatose vegetable behind
the wheel at all.

Even professional race car drivers crash. They occasionally die in
those crashes too. And that's being surrounded by other, professional
drivers.

How can this be so?

Because... ummmmm people die? Oh yeah, I know you might find this
quite disturbing but the default setting for all human beings is DEAD.

Here's an idea! Let's limit all cars/trucks/buses/motorcycles to 5mph.
Because let's face it... hit something hard enough at 55 and you're
just as dead as 80.

But 5mph seems like a speed that would virtually guarantee a 100%
survival rate. People are you with me or what?

Problem is, unless you're on a racetrack, you're sharing the road with
the public, and the public can vary quite a bit in its driving skills.

It also seems *everyone* thinks *they* are a good, competent driver.

That's funny cause over in Europe the variance in driving skills is
far less and level of competence far greater. How do you suppose that
one happened love?

Or perhaps a lack of mental capacity in thinking speed isn't a major
factor in safety on public roads?

Nope. The only people who consistently support speed enforcement are
lazy police officers, politicians and soccer mommies. All have been
scientifically proven to be capable of below average mental
functioning and not much else.

Demetrius XXIV and the Gladiatores wrote:

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 08:04:57 -0500, Stephen Harding
wrote:

Would you feel safer with a comatose vegetable doing 15 mph or 120?

I can certainly see a connection between those who support mindless
speed enforcement and stupidity. Why does this not surprise me?
Because only a moron would feel safer with a comatose vegetable behind
the wheel at all.

You don't believe there is any different in what that veggie could do
to you at 15 mph versus 120?

I believe the difference would be substantially different. I'm safer
with comatose veggies, or skilled professional drivers, doing 15 vs. 120.

Even professional race car drivers crash. They occasionally die in
those crashes too. And that's being surrounded by other, professional
drivers.

How can this be so?

Because... ummmmm people die? Oh yeah, I know you might find this
quite disturbing but the default setting for all human beings is DEAD.

No. The default *terminal* state for humans is dead. The timing of
that state can vary considerably. I prefer to reach that state in as
distant a time as possible.

Here's an idea! Let's limit all cars/trucks/buses/motorcycles to 5mph.
Because let's face it... hit something hard enough at 55 and you're
just as dead as 80.

I don't believe you necessarily are. I believe I have a better chance
at remaining alive if you hit me at 55 than at 80.

Furthermore, if you're going to be fatalistic about it ("dead is dead"),
then I prefer that "something hard enough" that you hit be something
other than a vehicle with me in or on it!

But 5mph seems like a speed that would virtually guarantee a 100%
survival rate. People are you with me or what?

It certainly would.

Problem is, unless you're on a racetrack, you're sharing the road with
the public, and the public can vary quite a bit in its driving skills.

It also seems *everyone* thinks *they* are a good, competent driver.

That's funny cause over in Europe the variance in driving skills is
far less and level of competence far greater. How do you suppose that
one happened love?

Don't know Europe as a whole, but in Germany, it costs a *bundle* of
money (and time) to get a license to drive. Cars cost more. Operating
one costs more. Storing one costs more. There is possibly a weeding
process that occurs from this financial burden.

Such a burden doesn't go over well in the US due to our car culture
which comes close to being a God given right.

Or perhaps a lack of mental capacity in thinking speed isn't a major
factor in safety on public roads?

You yourself seemed to believe that a speed of 5 mph would virtually
eliminate roadway mortality. That seems to suggest speed as a rather
major factor to me.

Nope. The only people who consistently support speed enforcement are
lazy police officers, politicians and soccer mommies. All have been
scientifically proven to be capable of below average mental
functioning and not much else.

Nice negative generalization but hardly "scientific". In fact, the
significance of speed in accident rates and motoring mortality is
quite well documented in the US.


SMH

In article ,
says...
Demetrius XXIV and the Gladiatores wrote:

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 08:04:57 -0500, Stephen Harding
wrote:

Would you feel safer with a comatose vegetable doing 15 mph or 120?

I can certainly see a connection between those who support mindless
speed enforcement and stupidity. Why does this not surprise me?
Because only a moron would feel safer with a comatose vegetable behind
the wheel at all.

You don't believe there is any different in what that veggie could do
to you at 15 mph versus 120?

I believe the difference would be substantially different. I'm safer
with comatose veggies, or skilled professional drivers, doing 15 vs. 120.

Even professional race car drivers crash. They occasionally die in
those crashes too. And that's being surrounded by other, professional
drivers.

How can this be so?

Because... ummmmm people die? Oh yeah, I know you might find this
quite disturbing but the default setting for all human beings is DEAD.

No. The default *terminal* state for humans is dead. The timing of
that state can vary considerably. I prefer to reach that state in as
distant a time as possible.

Here's an idea! Let's limit all cars/trucks/buses/motorcycles to 5mph.
Because let's face it... hit something hard enough at 55 and you're
just as dead as 80.

I don't believe you necessarily are. I believe I have a better chance
at remaining alive if you hit me at 55 than at 80.

Furthermore, if you're going to be fatalistic about it ("dead is dead"),
then I prefer that "something hard enough" that you hit be something
other than a vehicle with me in or on it!

But 5mph seems like a speed that would virtually guarantee a 100%
survival rate. People are you with me or what?

It certainly would.

Not necessarily. A few years back there was a kid killed in Virgina
Beach in a fender-bender in a mall parking lot at approx 5mph when the
airbag hit him in the face. Of course, if there hadn't been airbags
in the car, he would have been fine (or maybe just had a bump on the
head). Or if the parent hadn't been an idiot, he would have been in
the back seat and would have been fine, too.

.....

--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

David Kerber wrote:

Not necessarily. A few years back there was a kid killed in Virgina
Beach in a fender-bender in a mall parking lot at approx 5mph when the
airbag hit him in the face. Of course, if there hadn't been airbags
in the car, he would have been fine (or maybe just had a bump on the
head). Or if the parent hadn't been an idiot, he would have been in
the back seat and would have been fine, too.

I guess when your number is up, it's up, irrespective of what you're doing.

I recall a previous "Darwin Award" winner who died from a candy machine
falling on top of him while he rocked it back and forth to unjam his
purchased candy bar. (Done this myself I have to admit).

I know a fellow who drove his little sports car (while intoxicated) that
rolled over. He was thrown clear and survived, while his passenger was
properly buckled in and died.

But the odds are in your favor if you buckle up or have an air bag (or
even rock a candy machine back and forth).


SMH

Bownse wrote:

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 16:24:22 GMT, Bownse wrote:


SO what are you doing here, denying that you are more likely to crash
in given conditions if you are going faster?



I would deny that such a statement is accurate.



Clarify: you are more likely to crash in a given set of conditions if
you are going fast than if you are going slow. Agree or disagree?
The evidence to support agreement is rather stronger than the evidence
to support disagreement, in my view.

Guy


Slow. Bikes fall over.

Real answer: It's unknown with the limited data you present. It's
completely situationally variable.

This reminds me of a theory of [some] Japanese driving, at least
prevalent during the early-mid 60's.

You drove as fast as you could. You did not stop at train crossings
as a train was about to pass. Pass perhaps when you shouldn't. Make
sudden, un-indicated turns.

All to keep the evil spirits following you from catching up, which
would be a very bad thing.


SMH