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2. There are plenty of cars made smaller - usually hyped by urbanists. They might get better gas mileage but are typically no match for traditional vehicles in an accident. BTW the "bigger and heftier" is not necessarily the cause for more safety features.
I have to point out this is incorrect. The increasing forces being exerted on an automobile in an incident is THE leading cause for new regs. It's a matter of physics. Bigger cars generate more force, thus causing more damage. A baseball-sized ball of styrofoam isn't going to hurt much if it hits you; a volumetrically equivalent ball of granite will do some damage.
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Originally Posted by IC_deLight
3. Accidents are going to happen just from sheer numbers of people not "due to the automobile".
Side note, people operate based upon context. A person in a "safe" cage is going to act different than a person, on average, open to the environment. There are some theories out there that suggest, and have had some luck providing evidence, that additional safety features lead to more incidents, because, purportedly, people drive with less care in that context. For example, air bags save lives, but not as many as they could because people drive faster knowing they are "safer."
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Originally Posted by IC_deLight
As far as the "we" is concerned, you also wouldn't be able to haul groceries, take or pickup kids from school, attend various events (school-related or otherwise), or transport other people or things around. Kinda difficult to haul much in the way of materials around on your scooter.
Groceries is a common meme among car-evangelists. If you have kids (plural), or only do big shopping trips, yeah, a bike won't work. But, if you live in a bicycle-friendly area, you may find it more convenient to do more, smaller ad-hoc trips. If you try to apply a WalMart mindset to bikes, of course they don't make sense; square peg, round hole. That doesn't mean bikes aren't viable, just not viable in that context.
I have to point out this is incorrect. The increasing forces being exerted on an automobile in an incident is THE leading cause for new regs. It's a matter of physics. Bigger cars generate more force, thus causing more damage. A baseball-sized ball of styrofoam isn't going to hurt much if it hits you; a volumetrically equivalent ball of granite will do some damage.
Side note, people operate based upon context. A person in a "safe" cage is going to act different than a person, on average, open to the environment. There are some theories out there that suggest, and have had some luck providing evidence, that additional safety features lead to more incidents, because, purportedly, people drive with less care in that context. For example, air bags save lives, but not as many as they could because people drive faster knowing they are "safer."
Groceries is a common meme among car-evangelists. If you have kids (plural), or only do big shopping trips, yeah, a bike won't work. But, if you live in a bicycle-friendly area, you may find it more convenient to do more, smaller ad-hoc trips. If you try to apply a WalMart mindset to bikes, of course they don't make sense; square peg, round hole. That doesn't mean bikes aren't viable, just not viable in that context.
Your middle paragraph sounds like the argument against bike helmets. In fact, it is even more specious, because IME very few people think of themselves as safer in a car with air bags as opposed to one w/o them. Most accidents occur in younger drivers, who've never driven a car w/o airbags. Airbags were first required on cars in the US in 1989, and in light trucks in 1997. Airbag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I've gone grocery shopping on a bike with kids. Kids and bags were both in the trailer on the way home. However, after I became a "working mother", I really didn't have time for that. If you live in a climate where it happens to *snow*, you see the value of being able to grocery shop in a car.
but we're not in the '60s, '70s, or '80s, so bringing up policy choices of that era is not germane to a discussion of current regs. And, as I said, bigger cars produce bigger crash forces. That is just physics. And cars keep getting bigger to accomodate more strict regs, which adds mass, which requires new regs to be more strict still.
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Originally Posted by Katiana
Your middle paragraph sounds like the argument against bike helmets. In fact, it is even more specious, because IME very few people think of themselves as safer in a car with air bags as opposed to one w/o them. Most accidents occur in younger drivers, who've never driven a car w/o airbags. Airbags were first required on cars in the US in 1989, and in light trucks in 1997. Airbag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I guess that extension could be made. That said, helmets are so basic and so valuable as to be a good idea no matter what.
Airbags were simply an example I used. If the theory bares true, it applies in any case wherein a driver feels safer. That applies as much to air bags (one or many, as may be the modern case) as it does to seat belts, lane departure warning, collision avoidance assist, etc. And we see the same concept play out on roadways, where "safe" roadways (wide, straight, relatively few interactions) can have more and more deadly incidents; people feel "safe" and, as a result, drive faster and pay less attention. Exact same processes at play.
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Originally Posted by Katiana
I've gone grocery shopping on a bike with kids. Kids and bags were both in the trailer on the way home. However, after I became a "working mother", I really didn't have time for that. If you live in a climate where it happens to *snow*, you see the value of being able to grocery shop in a car.
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No argument there. But on CD and in the world, people tend to ignore context and argue from a false dichotomy.
but we're not in the '60s, '70s, or '80s, so bringing up policy choices of that era is not germane to a discussion of current regs. And, as I said, bigger cars produce bigger crash forces. That is just physics. And cars keep getting bigger to accomodate more strict regs, which adds mass, which requires new regs to be more strict still.
I guess that extension could be made. That said, helmets are so basic and so valuable as to be a good idea no matter what.
Airbags were simply an example I used. If the theory bares true, it applies in any case wherein a driver feels safer. That applies as much to air bags (one or many, as may be the modern case) as it does to seat belts, lane departure warning, collision avoidance assist, etc. And we see the same concept play out on roadways, where "safe" roadways (wide, straight, relatively few interactions) can have more and more deadly incidents; people feel "safe" and, as a result, drive faster and pay less attention. Exact same processes at play.
No argument there. But on CD and in the world, people tend to ignore context and argue from a false dichotomy.
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I learned to drive on a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500. It weighed ~3700#. I currently drive a 2003 Honda CR-V. It weighs 3201#. The Galaxie had no airbags, nor seatbelts IIRC. I'm not sure about back-up lights. It didn't have an ABS system, either. Yet it was significantly heavier than my CR-V. The CR-V has all that and more. That's the point I was trying to make. The old cars were big, and heavy.
I have to point out this is incorrect. The increasing forces being exerted on an automobile in an incident is THE leading cause for new regs. It's a matter of physics. Bigger cars generate more force, thus causing more damage. A baseball-sized ball of styrofoam isn't going to hurt much if it hits you; a volumetrically equivalent ball of granite will do some damage.
BS. There aren't "increasing forces". Cars and vehicles were bigger in prior years than now. There has been a general decrease in car size. Whatever "new regs" you are referring to are a mystery. Federal and state regulations aimed at getting higher MPG fleet numbers generally resulted in shrinking cars. So whatever your point was here, it was lost.
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Side note, people operate based upon context. A person in a "safe" cage is going to act different than a person, on average, open to the environment. There are some theories out there that suggest, and have had some luck providing evidence, that additional safety features lead to more incidents, because, purportedly, people drive with less care in that context. For example, air bags save lives, but not as many as they could because people drive faster knowing they are "safer."
Uh sure. You might conceivably have an argument with seat belts but air bags? Do you believe people drive differently because they have a 3rd brake light too?
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Groceries is a common meme among car-evangelists. If you have kids (plural), or only do big shopping trips, yeah, a bike won't work. But, if you live in a bicycle-friendly area, you may find it more convenient to do more, smaller ad-hoc trips. If you try to apply a WalMart mindset to bikes, of course they don't make sense; square peg, round hole. That doesn't mean bikes aren't viable, just not viable in that context.
"Meme" - the theme of the collectivists.
Groceries are something that even a few hipsters might understand. Some of them might occasionally prepare their own meals instead of relying upon the restaurants and coffee shops in their "mixed use" neighborhood. A bike isn't functionally sufficient for most households - that's why most households use cars. No "dark" economics needed.
I learned to drive on a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500. It weighed ~3700#. I currently drive a 2003 Honda CR-V. It weighs 3201#. Yet the Galaxie had no airbags, nor seatbelts IIRC. I'm not sure about back-up lights. It didn't have an ABS system, either. Yet it was significantly heavier than my CR-V. The CR-V has all that and more. That's the point I was trying to make. The old cars were big, and heavy.
I'm not here to argue that old cars were safer. But, foot per foot, they are often lighter than modern cars. Keep in mind that the Galaxy was over two and a half FEET longer than your CR-V. Even though older cars used heavier gauges of steel, modern cars pack a lot more stuff into a smaller package.
I'm not here to argue that old cars were safer. But, foot per foot, they are often lighter than modern cars. Keep in mind that the Galaxy was over two and a half FEET longer than your CR-V. Even though older cars used heavier gauges of steel, modern cars pack a lot more stuff into a smaller package.
The Galaxie was 500# heavier than my CR-V. And it didn't have as many safety features. The point is we don't have these "newfangled" safety features b/c cars are heavier. We have 'em b/c they have been shown to increase safety.
The Galaxie was 500# heavier than my CR-V. And it didn't have as many safety features. The point is we don't have these "newfangled" safety features b/c cars are heavier. We have 'em b/c they have been shown to increase safety.
It has nothing to do with "how many" there are and everything to do with the fact that not every Interstate mile has 50,000 cars passing over it each day. It doesn't. The point is that there are thousands of Interstate miles that don't see 1/4 of that on a daily basis.
Why would you even begin to compare Canada to the US? For one, Canada has few freeways and, therefore, a much more condensed set of road choices. FYI - Toronto is a big city and Ontario is the most populous province in Canada. One should expect elevated numbers there.
Not sure, but I'd guess that was true for the US, but not for many other parts of the world.
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I've gone grocery shopping on a bike with kids. Kids and bags were both in the trailer on the way home. However, after I became a "working mother", I really didn't have time for that. If you live in a climate where it happens to *snow*, you see the value of being able to grocery shop in a car.
Snow would make it a pain, but many climate with snow don't get snow all the time, let alone every day. Rest of the time, the roads are plowed. However, they may get narrower and bicycling less comfortable.
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