Why are Aussies just so risk averse a society? (houses, to buy)
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I don't have a problem with most of those. It makes perfect sense that people are required to wear seat belts in the car.
Where the country truly falters is in the way it needs to over regulate video games. Now that there is an R18+ rating for games, its time to stop policing that type of media and accept the fact that lots of adults play games and want to experience content designated for them. I don't need the government to tell me what I can or can't play.
I'd of course place a ban on all media games forthwith and insist on six hours minimum outdoor exposure each day, doing physical exercise then in the evenings programs set up aimed to tax minds.
Every person would be 'case managed' to ensure compliance and severe penalties would , I'm afraid result from any deviation from this nation building exercise in strong bodies and trained to think minds.
Would anyone really want to go back to the smoking environment of forty years ago? Smoking in all workplaces, on trains, planes, staffrooms in schools, all restaurants? Having to wash your hair and your clothes after a night out if you happened to be a non-smoker? This is quite apart from the health considerations.
I suspect that if the OP spent just 20 minutes (perhaps even 5 minutes) with someone who has suffered serious and irreversible brain or spinal injury from a motor vehicle or motor bike accident, their aversion to laws requiring use of safety belts or helmets would evaporate pretty quickly.
I don't mind the laws.
Lockout laws in particular were pioneered locally here in Newcastle, and now are commonplace.
Seems strange when you go to another country and you see motor bikes with no helmets, no seat belts etc, eg when going to SE Asia.
Have only been to Hawaii in the US, but that seemed pretty lax too from memory.
Probably the strangest is seeing dogs and domestic animals roaming the streets, when the Companions Animal act here stopped that 20 or 30 years ago.
Australians are among the most risk adverse people I have come across. Not an perhaps a characteristic, immediately associated with Australians, overseas, from folk that considered Australia along the lines of Crocodile Dundee, rough and ready types, the outback and a combination of so much fauna that could kill but alas all something of a distraction from the reality.
I'm not sure if the premise is true or not, but if it is, it would seem to line up with studies in the area which suggest the older and more "comfortable" (economically, socially etc") people are, the less likely they are to take risks.
Wearing a seatbelt and having no smoking areas are great laws. I don't know why you would want it otherwise lol, makes no sense in this day and age. Lockout laws dont really apply to me so I wont comment on them but being forced to wear a helmet on a bicycle (motorbike fair enough) is silly, it might even discourage people from riding a bike in the first place. Using bikeshare systems are a little more complicated because of this too.
The point about video games is a good one too, although they don't tend to get banned nearly as much as they did in the past before the R18+ ratings existed.
I saw some American posters on another page here suggest that having Drink Driving laws was nanny state stuff. That no crime is committed unless there is an accident. I suspect they are the Sovereign Citizen type of people.
I'm not sure if the premise is true or not, but if it is, it would seem to line up with studies in the area which suggest the older and more "comfortable" (economically, socially etc") people are, the less likely they are to take risks.
BTW, all the laws presented by the OP as examples as problem laws are very sensible and shouldn't change IMO.
Risk aversion clearly averted in early bed times. Inability to merge in traffic probably about as 'risk taking, dare devilish behaviour', as to be found.
I suppose some may say comfortable, others boring ,one can pick.
Well not exactly with a quarter of the aged population living in some degree of stress economically hardly comfortable for many. Especially added to that the poor standards, not to say expense, in aged care provision.
I agree good times for a number of aged with inflated house prices and government prop ups related to shares, who play the system for personal gain (not judging, but saying)
Well once laws are enacted, they likely won't change, so you can rest easy with freedoms lost.
Wearing a seatbelt and having no smoking areas are great laws. I don't know why you would want it otherwise lol, makes no sense in this day and age. Lockout laws dont really apply to me so I wont comment on them but being forced to wear a helmet on a bicycle (motorbike fair enough) is silly, it might even discourage people from riding a bike in the first place. Using bikeshare systems are a little more complicated because of this too.
The point about video games is a good one too, although they don't tend to get banned nearly as much as they did in the past before the R18+ ratings existed.
Yep cycle laws more than daft. Not applicable in countries where cycling is taking seriously, nor would it likely be accepted.
Bike share systems is simply cheap skate policy to save money. I can't think of another urban landscape where cyclists and walkers are supposed to share.
Risk aversion clearly averted in early bed times. Inability to merge in traffic probably about as 'risk taking, dare devilish behaviour', as to be found.
I suppose some may say comfortable, others boring ,one can pick.
Well not exactly with a quarter of the aged population living in some degree of stress economically hardly comfortable for many. Especially added to that the poor standards, not to say expense, in aged care provision.
I agree good times for a number of aged with inflated house prices and government prop ups related to shares, who play the system for personal gain (not judging, but saying)
Well once laws are enacted, they likely won't change, so you can rest easy with freedoms lost.
I suspect that if the OP spent just 20 minutes (perhaps even 5 minutes) with someone who has suffered serious and irreversible brain or spinal injury from a motor vehicle or motor bike accident, their aversion to laws requiring use of safety belts or helmets would evaporate pretty quickly.
Well as accidents and brain injury due to motor accident has not been eliminated who knows?
Now if cars and bikes could do no more than 20 Km an hour that may cut losses and injuries more...Lets get cracking then and implement that.
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