[*BCM*] The movement that divides us
Adam Rosi-Kessel
adam at rosi-kessel.org
Mon Jun 5 19:52:01 EDT 2006
On Mon, Jun 05, 2006 at 04:54:10PM -0700, turtle wrote:
> So Adam, what do you believe CAUSES crashes?
All I'm trying to point out is statistics, and transportation statistics
in particular, are prone to misinterpretation.
Even the well known fact that air travel is the safest form of
transportation isn't true under all measurements -- depending on whether
you measure per mile, per hour, per trip, etc., you get a different
result.
I don't really the know the answer, but I do think:
- Not all "illegal" riding behaviors are equally dangerous. Breezing
through a red light at 15-20 mph is obviously more dangerous than
coming to a full stop, looking around, and going through if no one is
around.
- There are plenty of highly dangerous riding behaviors that are
perfectly illegal. For example, in many parts of the country, riding on
the sidewalk is permitted. Subject to my own proviso about distrusting
statistics, I have seen statistics that suggest that sidewalk riding is
about the most dangerous thing you can do.
- My gut unsubstantiated feeling is that the most important factors are
skill and experience. Maybe highly skilled and experienced cyclists are
more likely to follow the law strictly, although I'd guess that's not
the case. Like with many risky activities, the key is being highly
aware of your surroundings, reacting quickly to the unexpected, having
a strong sense of the limitations of yourself and your tools, rather
than how well you follow the rules.
A
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